


Give Me Therapy: Prompts

by Hi_Im_Lou



Series: Give Me Therapy [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), All Time Low
Genre: A shit tonne of fluff, Angst, Anxiety, Cuddles, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Gen, Homesickness, I'm not even gonna try to tag everything, I'm not funny, Insomnia, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, SO MANY CUDDLES MAN I CANT EVEN, Separation Anxiety, Sleeplessness, Sleepy Boys, Sleepy Cuddles, So much fucking fluff, it'll take me forever to tag everything, me trying to be funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-02-09 22:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 39,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1999506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hi_Im_Lou/pseuds/Hi_Im_Lou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So this is a series (not really a series, just a bunch of chapters) of prompts. A few are original, but hopefully most are from interested people. All of these prompts are to do with my other 5SOS story Give Me Therapy. If you read at least the first two chapters of that, these prompts will make more sense, but it's not needed. So anyways, enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cake: Homesickness and Cuddles

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER - I don't own anything to do with 5SOS, so not the boys, not the songs, not anything. I also own nothing to do with ATL.
> 
> All mistakes are my own, and I will eventually get round to fixing them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first prompt (yay!)
> 
> This is for Cake_quadruplets

The quiet snick of the door perked Luke's ears up. He sat quietly, not looking up from the book in his lap, instead listening to the sound of the soft footsteps approaching him. The blonde instantly knew who it was, considering Mikey and Ash were outside playing a game of footie.

Calum saw where the younger boy was reading, wiping a hand over his face as he made his way over to Luke. He sat down next to the other lad, wincing a little as he saw Luke put down his book.  
A skinny arm wrapping itself around his shoulders startled Calum from his temporary reverie, but the warmth of the embrace had him sagging in relief.

Curling the older boy into his side, Luke rested his cheek atop the dark hair, mouthing a silent apology.  
"What the hell do you have to be sorry for?" Genuine confusion laced Calum's tone, eyebrows furrowing and his forehead crinkling.  
Feeling the slight dig of fingers in his ribs, he noted Luke's hand running over his own, slightly protruding ribcage.  
"For your ribs?" He paused in thought, trying to decipher what the taller boy meant. A metaphorical lightbulb lit above his head. "You think I'm uncomfortable leaning against you?"

As he felt Luke's nod on top of his head, he couldn't help but coo and burrow himself closer to the blonde lad.  
"No! No, Lukey, this is perfect, promise."  
He tilted his head back, noting the small smile that graced Luke's features, and certainly not missing the question in his clear blue eyes. Calum huffed a sigh, only slightly unnerved by Luke's perceptiveness.

"I just miss my family..." He whispered quietly.  
He felt Luke stiffen at the 'F' word, but soon the feel of long fingers rubbing soothing circles down the length of his spine drew the question from the front of his mind.  
He looked back to Luke's face, his focus fully returning as he saw the concern and sympathy reflected in the younger boy's gaze.

Tucking his head into the neck near his left ear, he huffed another sigh, but this one was lighter. It seemed just cuddling with Luke seemed to ease the pain of homesickness.  
He pressed his lips to the warm skin of the juncture of Luke's neck and shoulder subconsciously. The blue eyed boy tensed, and Calum's eyes shot open. _Wait, when did they close?!_ He made to move away, but Luke's arm tightened at his waist.  
Boldness crept into Calum's heart, and he took a deep breath before shifting from Luke's hold, and quickly brushing off the guilt at the hurt look on the blonde lad's face.

Sitting up straight, he stared into the blue, crystalline hues of the younger boy. He shut his own eyes and pressed forward, connecting his lips with Luke's. The kiss was chaste and sweet, the tanned lad pulling back just as quickly as he had leant forward.  
Upon opening his eyes, he saw Luke beaming, and a grin spread itself across his own face. The younger boy shyly leant forward, pressing his lips to Calum's once more, the dark eyed boy smiling into the kiss.  
After pulling back again, Calum whispered, "That was... Wow." He chuckled at Luke's nod, continuing with, "You're cute."  
The older teen thought that the blonde's blush was absolutely precious, and he leant in for yet another kiss.

As his fingers tangled in the golden locks covering the back of Luke's head, Calum's thoughts drifted. _Yeah, this'll definitely help with the homesickness. And I get a permanent cuddle buddy who's absolutely adorable. I think I'm gonna really like it here at Happy Days..._


	2. Muke/Cashton/Slight!OT4: Sleepless Nights but Dem Cuddles Tho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my original ideas. I wrote it on a plane.

Michael couldn't sleep. It was as simple as that. He tossed and turned, trying to find a more comfortable position than the last several he'd tried: on his back, on his front, on his left side, half on his right-half on his front, curled in a ball, sprawled like a starfish... Yeah. Not good. At first, he was afraid all the shuffling would awaken Luke - who had enough trouble sleeping as it was - but then he remembered Luke had slept through the huge, and might he add _cacophonous_ (yes, Michael did know and use that word, thank you very much to anyone who thought otherwise) thunderstorm they'd had just a few nights back.

Huffing a sigh, as laying completely on his right side only served to give him a dead arm, he escaped the tangled ensnarement of his covers, and checked the alarm clock on his bedside table after sitting up. 2:48AM. Great. He made his way to the bathroom. Splashing water on his face, he frowned at the tired reflection staring back at him. Wiping his face with a nearby flannel, he grimaced as he came to realise it was wet. Ew. He wiped his face off with a (thankfully) dry towel, before leaving his and Luke's room completely.

Entering the music room as silently as possible, he frowned as he saw Ashton quietly beating away at 'his' drum box.  
"Ash?" Mikey called softly, making his way over to the older and taking a seat next to him.  
Michael's voice scared the shit out of Ashton - if he was honest - but he responded calmly nonetheless. "Yeah, Mikey?"  
"Can't sleep either?"

The sound of the door opening cut off Ash's reply, Calum stepping into the room and then shutting the door behind him. He strode towards the sofa on Ashton's other side, gladly flopping into the comfort of the cushions.  
"Three out of four not sleeping, huh?" The dark eyed boy uttered, glancing up at the older boys. After receiving two head-shakes, he let out a sigh, then murmured, "Cuddles?"  
Ashton nodded, lifting himself from the drum box to sit next to Calum, the younger lad having to shuffle over a little. The dark blonde wrapped his arm around Calum's waist, pulling the other teen into his side. The dark haired lad's head automatically fell to rest on Ash's shoulder.  
"Oh, cheers mate, just leave me to sit alone why don't y-" Michael's whiny exclamation was cut off as the door banged open.

Stood in the doorway was Luke, panic written all over his face, blue eyes wide, scared and brimming with unshed tears. His blonde hair was all leaning to one side, flat on the left side of his head; he'd fallen asleep facing Michael's bed again. The erratic breathing concerned all three of the older boys, and Mikey didn't hesitate to open his arms to the blonde.  
Luke nearly sprinted the few feet to where the green haired lad sat, launching himself onto the sofa and into Michael's arms. He squirmed and wriggled until Mikey pulled him to sit comfortably in his lap, curled into the older boy's chest.

Ashton and Calum watched on in worry, the curly haired boy subconsciously mirroring Michael's movements by smoothing his hand up and down Calum's back.  
Rubbing small circles over the knobs of Luke's spine with one hand, Mikey's other hand carded itself through the already messy blonde locks, subtly and gently pressing the blue eyed boy's head further into his chest.

"What's wrong, Lukey? Why're you so upset, huh? What's up with my Penguin?" Mikey cooed, well aware of Ashton and Calum's concerned gazes.  
Luke sat up straighter, eyes still wide and mouth downturned in slight misery as he pointed at the door, and then to the three other boys. He huffed, gestured to himself, and mimed waking up. He then reenacted his panic before burrowing back into Mikey's hold.  
"You woke up and couldn't find any of us, didn't you?" Calum asked, seemingly interpreting the youngest's actions the quickest. Guilt flooded his stomach as he saw Luke's nod, knowing that he'd poked his head into Mikey and Luke's room in his search for Ashton after he too woke up alone, but upon finding Luke sleeping, he moved his search away.

Soft shushing sounds drew Calum from his guilt as he saw both Ashton and Michael - _Wait, when did Ashton move?_ \- cuddling Luke between them; the oldest brushed away the unshed tears with his thumbs.  
Moving to the other sofa, the second youngest lad pressed himself into Ash's other side, looping his arm over enough to grasp Luke's hand. The blonde interlocked their fingers, bringing a smile to Calum's face.

When Alex and Rian checked the ARD floor later that morning - they'd been concerned when none of them had shown up for breakfast, despite Ashton's strict routine - their previous worry tripled when they found both bedrooms devoid of teenagers. After checking all three bathrooms and the TV room, even the storage cupboard, the two doctors came to the final room on Floor 6.  
Alex opened the door, smiled at the sight of the four boys cuddled up together, and then backed out of the room silently. He closed the door, tossed a grin at Rian before slinging an arm around his friend's shoulders.  
"They're fine. Cuddled up like sleeping puppies."  
"Definitely fine then." Rian smirked, pressing the button for the elevator so they could get back to work.


	3. Michael Centric: Nobody Panic!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt I received via tumblr:
> 
> "I have a prompt for your Therapy story on archiveofourown! Can I please have a Michael centric maybe quite angsty like a panic attack or he relapses or something? Thanks :) your story is really good by the way!"
> 
> Also, to whoever sent the prompt, thank you very very much :D

_Shit shit shit shit shit, no no no no no, this can't be happening, not again not again!_

Ashton walked into Luke and Michael's room. He was looking for the blonde boy, wanting to snuggle him half to death but he froze when he saw Michael instead.  
The younger lad was pulling at his hair, one hand tangled in the green locks, the other clutching at his chest. Ash knew all too well what that meant.  
The oldest teen ran across the room, his socked feet making no sound on the carpet, then launched himself onto the bed next to Mikey. Wrapping his arms around the other lad tightly, he started a litany of reassurances.  
"Calm down, Mikey, you're okay, you're okay. Everything's gonna be fine, we're all okay! Just _breathe_ with me."

Realising his attempts were futile, Ashton's own anxiety levels were creeping higher and higher with his concern. He needed Luke, and Calum, but mostly Luke. He needed him now.

As if on cue, Luke and Calum entered the room, the youngest seemingly telling an entire story with just his hands, Calum near tearful with laughter - Ashton smiled despite the situation - until they noticed the predicament on Mikey's bed.  
The two youngest teens rushed to the bedside, Luke immediately climbing in beside the green haired boy. Calum wrapped an arm around a distressed Ash, muttering into his ear that they'd fix it and everyone would be fine.

Somehow noting that the reason for his panic attack had returned, Michael (don't even ask how, no one had any idea how he did it) managed to switch the positions, and Luke found himself clutched to the older boy's chest.  
"Thought I'd lost you, Lukey! You were gone and I couldn't stop them hurting you..." Michael whispered, barely audible to anyone.  
His hands started carding through the golden tresses of their own accord, his heart still racing as the dream played back in his mind. The memory was so _real_ but at the same time so distorted that the boy could barely make sense of it. All he knew was that Luke wasn't laying dying in his arms, covered in blood and gurgling out a final goodbye.

Mikey shuddered at the thought.

Holding Luke so close had been advantageous. Merely just feeling the slow, steady and even breaths expanding the younger lad's chest was enough to force Michael's to return to normal. His face regained a little colour, losing the startlingly pale pallor it had claimed during his panic. His grip on the other boy loosened, his heart rate slowing enough that he could take a deep breath and not feel like his heart was about to punch through his ribcage.  
Calum and Ashton continued to stare, wide eyed and still cautious as to how to react. Luke, however, just cuddled closer to the older boy, stretching out a leg to haul Calum into Michael's other side; Ashton followed, the tanned boy's arm still hooked around his waist.

Mikey took another deep breath before he uttered, "Thanks you guys."  
The blue eyed lad rolled his eyes, tucking his head under Michael's chin, the arm that wasn't pressed underneath him stretched over to grab at Ashton's t-shirt.  
The green haired lad actually managed to snort a laugh at Luke's reaction, hugging him tighter, and wrapping his free arm around a smiling Calum. Ash grinned, finally feeling more relaxed now he was sure everyone was okay.

Waking up an hour later, Calum felt warm, and cracking an eye open revealed the reason why. He was still tangled in the huge pile of teenage limbs, but he couldn't be happier. He looked up, noting the smooth contours of Mikey's face; no worry, no stress, and definitely no panic. The dark haired boy closed his eyes again, content that the four of them weren't panicking anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, I wrote this in like 10 minutes, which explains why it's bad. I'm not sure how much I stuck to the prompt, a LOT of Muke wound up in this.... Hmmm.... I hope the prompter enjoys it anyways.


	4. Luke Centric: Tears and Tickle Fights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was prompted by swagmcnugget, and then seconded by faraway.
> 
> "can you write a prompt where Luke is upset or crying or something and the boys try to cheer him up resulting in a tickle fight? I dunno, I just think that'd be really cute!"
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Luke was upset. Understatement of the century. He was distraught.

Of course though, no one knew. The silent tears running shimmery tracks down the blonde boy's cheeks wouldn't alert anyone to the distress he was feeling. The way bony knees were hugged to a bony chest in order to smother the overwhelming urge to sob went unnoticed through a closed door. Gentle rocking, barely a movement, wouldn't have tipped anyone off when they couldn't see it or hear the slight dulled rustle of crisp sheets.

A silent sniffle and Luke stood up from his bed, long legs unfolding and settling themselves straight to hold up the lad's shaking form. He didn't bother wiping his eyes, Ash, Mikey and Calum would know he'd been crying anyways, so why bother?  
He made his way out of his and Mikey's room, wrapping skinny arms around himself in some semblance of a hug. Entering the music room, he sat down on the sofa, wedging himself into the corner and curling up again. He debated whether or not to go grab a guitar, spotting his open notebook on the side table - song lyrics and little riffs and melodies littering the pages.  
Deciding that he would play a little to calm down, Luke was just about to stretch out towards the guitar at the end of the sofa when the door opened, and he shrunk back.

At first, Calum didn't see Luke. All he wanted was to pick up a bass and jam for a little while before bed. The dark haired boy walked across the room, and as his hand extended towards the bass he'd appointed as his favourite, Luke's sniffle had his head shooting up at the sound.  
Dark eyes roved over the corner before landing on the blonde's hunched over figure. A coo automatically escaped as Luke sniffled once more, and Calum's bass playing plans were immediately set on the back burner.

Having seen Calum go into the music room, Ashton and Michael followed suit, ready to ask if the younger boy wanted to play with them.  
Upon entering, the two teens saw Luke being squished into Calum's side, cheek smushed against the tanned lad's chest. Spotting the tear tracks, the oldest teens rushed over to the cuddling pair, questions instantly flying.

"Lukey? What's wrong?"  
"Why're you crying, Penguin?"  
Then there were threats.  
"Did someone upset you? Tell me who it was, I'll kick their arse!"  
"I'll break their fucking legs, tell me who made you cry."  
Finally, there was snuggling and reassurances.  
Ash wrapped his arms around both Calum and Luke, pulling the youngest closer to his body and pressing his nose to the top of Luke's spine. Michael curled over Calum's back, his body blanketing the second youngest teen and hands running through Luke's blonde tresses.  
"It's okay, Lukey-Bear, we love you so so much!"  
"Yeah, you don't need to listen to anything they said. You're awesome, Penguin, honest."

The words helped, but they still didn't bring about the smile the three older boys were hoping for. It was making them anxious, but they vowed internally not to panic. Racking their brains, the boys realised that words weren't working.  
So they settled for the next best thing.

From his position of being draped over Calum's back, Mikey moved his hands through Luke's hair and down to brush feather lightly over his neck and the tops of his shoulders. His fingers strayed over to and brushed through the glistening lines plastered to Luke's cheeks, doing the job of wiping them away, as well as creating that tickling sensation.  
Long fingers slowly uncurled from a sleep shirt, and instead started catching along the ridges of slightly protruding ribs. Calum smirked as his gentle prodding provoked tiny jerks of movement and a minuscule smile was pressed into his chest.  
Ash was a hell of a lot less subtle in his approach, blatantly releasing the two youngest and instead targeting Luke's bare feet. He had the hardest job - what with Luke's struggles to get his legs away from the drummer's clutches - but the beaming grin his attempts caused made the minor kicks worth it.

Luke flipped over, his three best friends' tickling too much him. His cheeks were starting to hurt from grinning, and his stomach was beginning to cramp from the silent laughter which was shaking his entire body.  
The boys watched, pleased with their handiwork until Calum yelped. Luke had gotten his own back, fingers poking at the backs of the dark eyed boy's knees. Ash and Mikey exchanged smirks, joining the blonde in his attack on Calum, whose giggles were hysterical.

All four hearts were racing - as far as Ashton could tell, he could only feel his own and Luke's - as the boys calmed down from their 'tickle fight'.  
Ashton was more or less spooning the blue eyed boy, Luke's back pressed to his chest; he could feel the younger lad's heartbeat easily. Calum and Mikey were curled together, limbs tangled and Michael's head tucked into Calum's neck, the green haired teen's hand gripping the front of Luke's shirt. The blonde's head was on Calum's other shoulder, the tanned boy's arm wrapped around the narrow waist and tucked between Luke and Ash's bodies.

Later, when they'd all woken with stiff muscles and cricks in their necks, the older three still didn't know what had upset Luke, but they had a feeling that Clara's mysterious disappearance - "permanent leave for reasons undisclosed" - had a huge hand in it.


	5. Sort of Cake: Can You Hear Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the prompt:
> 
> "can you write a prompt with calum walking in on Luke singing or something like that?"  
>  Prompted by lukeslegs
> 
> I'm sorry it's so short, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!

Calum exited the elevator, stepping onto his and the boys' floor. Making his way down the corridor, he poked his head into Mikey and Luke's room, seeing the older boy playing guitar, and rather loudly at that. The younger lad was vacant, so Calum decided he'd find him.

After checking the room he shared with Ashton, stopping for a five minute chat along the way, and raiding the communal bathroom, the dark haired boy was still none the wiser as to where Luke was.  
Deciding on the music room as his last resort before looking on a different floor, Calum entered said room and what he walked in on was not something he was expecting.

Luke was sat in the middle of the floor, notepad on his lap, notebook by his right side, pen in his mouth and a guitar in his hands. One set of slender fingers plucked at the strings, a melody flowing and encasing the blonde teen within the rhythm and allowing him to lose himself in the music. His other hand formed chords, arching and bowing just so, in order to form the foundation of the tune.  
The tanned boy watched in awe - the younger lad's playing was mesmerising. Note after note resonated within the body of the guitar before escaping into the room, pulling Calum in and leaving him speechless. Then Luke opened his mouth, the pen dropped, and he sang.

"Within a minute I was all packed up. I've got a ticket to another world. I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go... Silent words are hard to speak. When your thoughts are all I see. 'Don't ever leave,' she said to me..."  
Calum moved closer, the sound of Luke's voice drawing him in and encapsulating his soul. He'd never heard the younger boy make any sound before now - aside from the early morning 'puppy' growls, the occasional sneeze/cough combo, or the odd whimper due to a night terror - and the quiet lull of the blonde's tone was soothing.  
"When we both fall asleep underneath the same sky. To the beat of our hearts at the same time. So close but so far away..." Luke's voice quieted, the tone lilting more than anything else before he whispered, "Can you hear me?"

Having sat down beside the blonde boy during the song, Calum looked over at the notebook, reading the scrawl of lyrics on the previously blank pages. He followed along to where Luke had stopped singing, and saw several following lines. _'She sleeps, alone. My heart wants to come home. I wish I was, I wish I was, beside you. She lies, awake. I'm trying to find the words to say. I wish I was, I wish I was. Beside you.'_  
A hand finding his own startled the dark eyed boy out of his reverie. He glanced up, spotting Luke staring at him with both sad and inquisitive baby blues. He smiled reassuringly, complimenting, "This song is so good, Luke. Honest, it's amazing!"  
Pink tinged the younger lad's cheeks and ears, his chin tucking into his chest as a bashful smile stretched across his features.

Calum grinned, gently placing the guitar and notepad on the floor, before rising to his feet and pulling Luke with him by their connected hands. Situating themselves on the sofa, Luke curled up in Calum's lap, tucking his head underneath the older teen's chin, golden strands tickling the tanned lad's cheeks and neck. Strong arms wrapped around a tiny waist, hauling the two closer together than they already were.  
Pressing a kiss to the top of Luke's head, Calum murmured, "Hey Lukey?"  
Feeling Luke tilt his head up in response, Calum smiled and whispered, "I can hear you."


	6. Cake: Don't Cry, Kiss Me Instead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the prompt:
> 
> "Can you write something like Luke walks in on Calum when he's singing/playing on the bass and he like sees that Calum is crying and tries to cheer him up and like Calum gives Luke a quick peck on the lips like a thank you.. Idk if that made sense but yeah, love your writing btw :3"  
>  Prompted by Sohomotho
> 
> Again, I apologise for how short this is, but I hope you like it anyway :)

Fingers plucked at strings as eyes expelled tears, the droplets cascading down tanned cheeks before falling from the boy's chin. Each crystalline drop fell onto a sleek bass, the shiny black surface now dotted with small domes of salty water. The melody continued despite all of this, note after note, consistent and tuneful. Calum couldn't help the slight hitch to his breathing, a sob trying to work its way from his throat. That didn't stop him singing away his feelings though.  
"And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming. Or the moment of truth in your lies. When everything feels like the movies. Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive..." His breathing hitched again, dragging his note upwards as the sob finally escaped into the confines of the music room. He continued on, "And I don't want the world to see me. 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken. I just want you to know who I am..." Another sob and Calum finished the song. "I just want you to know who I am. I just want you to know who I am. I just want you to know who I am..."  
His hands kept playing of their own accord, even as his eyes shut, forcing the gathered tears to fall. Silence filled the empty cavity left by Calum's lack of playing, the lad burying his face in his knees.  
So caught up in his despair, the dark haired teen remained oblivious to the door opening.

Luke poked his head around the door, blue eyes wide and slightly anxious. The corners of his mouth turned down as he saw Calum sobbing on the floor. He moved from the doorway, making his way over to join the older lad on the floor. Sitting cross legged, the blonde tilted his head curiously, waiting for the other teen to notice him.  
Sensing someone else's presence, Calum looked up and straight into Luke's eyes. The younger boy looked sad, but the dark eyed lad couldn't fathom out why.  
"Why do you look sad, Lukey?" He sniffled, wiping at his eyes.  
Luke just shook his head and gestured to Calum, taking the tanned boy's face in his hands - smoothing his thumbs through the tear tracks littered there.  
"Because I'm crying?" And at the blue eyed teen's nod, Calum somehow cracked a smile. "That's sweet of you, Lukey."

Shifting the guitar to one side, Luke stood up, going over to put the bass back before making his way over to the stereo. He slipped in the Blink 182 Greatest Hits album, grinning as Always came on. He made his way back to Calum, extending a hand down to him.  
The older boy took the proffered hand, allowing Luke to haul him to his feet.  
Taking both of the dark haired lad's hands, Luke started pulling Calum around a little, moving his arms and forcing his feet to step left and right in order to prevent falling over; he was silently urging him to dance.  
Laughter filled the room, Calum realising what Luke was trying to do. He let go of one of the other boy's hands, twirling Luke under his arm and giggling at the pale blush on the blonde's face.

The two danced around the room for what seemed like hours, but was in reality only four songs. Exhausted beyond what he should've been, and sadness completely forgotten, Calum stopped. He pulled Luke into a hug, quietly murmuring his thanks.  
"I have no idea how you're so good at cheering people up without a sound, but thank you. I needed this."  
Smiling bashfully in response, Luke was about to duck his head when Calum caught his lips. The kiss was more of a peck - very chaste and very slight, but still there.  
"Thank you."  
Luke merely pecked Calum's cheek in response.


	7. Sort of Lashton: Lash Out, Cuddle In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the prompt:
> 
> "can you make a prompt with Ashton being upset with something and he accidentally lashes out at Luke or something but by the end of the prompt he and Luke make up and cuddle?"  
> Prompted by calumfingers, seconded by faraway, and then again by hugmemichael.
> 
> Wow this one got long. I got carried away, and I think a cuddle scene is missing, but I'm literally falling asleep

He couldn't believe it. For the third time in as many months, Ashton had been denied access to Luke's examinations. Instead, he'd been forced to watch the younger boy be more or less dragged away for his review, large blue eyes sad, scared and pleading for Ash to accompany him. Every time Ashton had to turn away dejectedly.  
The pent up rage and frustration was about to boil over, and if he was honest, the oldest teen was a little terrified of who that anger would lash out at. God forbid if it was Luke...

The blonde had been taken away two hours ago, meaning he should be back any minute, although in his irritability was already bleeding through into his actions.  
He'd snapped at Calum while they were practising - what they'd finally decided to call - Therapy, he'd nearly punched Michael when they were playing FIFA, and he'd all but thrown his phone at the wall while playing Flappy Bird.  
The curly haired lad paced around his room, hands tugging at his hair and feet scuffing on the carpet. The words rang in his head, the disappointment echoing in his brain and causing his ire to rise above healthy levels. Normally so docile and cheerful, positively chirpy most days, anyone who could've entered the room would've seen how the denied access was getting to the eldest boy.  
It wasn't until exactly what Ashton wanted to avoid happened that the illusion shattered and he was brought back to his senses.

Luke opened the door to Ash and Calum's room, eyes downcast and disheartened. He'd failed his review. Again. Looking up, the blue eyed boy found Ashton pacing back and forth, feet wearing lines into the carpeting as he dragged his feet uncaringly. He took a step towards the older boy, wringing his hands in front of him, though he stumbled as his foot caught on a pair of Ashton's shoes.  
The sound of Luke tripping caught Ash's attention, and he quickly whipped round to face the younger lad. Some logical reasoning was pushed to the back of his mind, the anger and frustration claiming the forefront and what happened next... Well what happened next was something Ashton would regret for a long long time.

Catching himself from his possible fall, the blonde looked up at the curly haired boy, eyes sad and apologetic yet again. Ashton instantly knew Luke had failed his review - just like he had every single other time. His rage overtook him, and before he knew it, the oldest teen was yelling.  
"Why can't you just get better already?! I mean sure the anxiety is an issue but you've been eating! _I've seen you!_ You're not allowed to do more than the healthy amount of exercise, so why the _fuck_ are you not passing your review?! Have you fucking _relapsed_ or something?! Are you even _trying_ anymore, Luke?"  
Despite Luke's silent tears and sniffles, a part of him screaming for him to stop and **'actually fucking look at what you're doing dickhead!'** , Ashton didn't stop. He just kept shouting out his frustrations.  
"I don't even know why any of us bother! You never talk to us, or anyone, you're always clingy and nervous and startled like fucking baby deer! You're still way too skinny, even though I've seen how much you've been eating lately, and I just _can't fucking understand why you don't pass your reviews_! You know what? Get out, I don't want to deal with you anymore."

It was that last statement that seemed to shatter Luke. The boy's face crumpled, tears cascading down reddened cheeks - pink partly due to shame, partly due to embarrassment. He just nodded at Ashton's wishes, stepping back and leaving the room, chest aching with the effort of retaining his sobs.  
Escaping to the safety of his own room, Luke was far too distraught to realise that Michael was sitting on his own bed, watching. Throwing himself face down, the blue eyed boy buried his face into his pillow, eyes stinging with the force of his crying.  
Mikey frowned, brows furrowing and the corners of his mouth turning downwards. Why the **fuck** was Luke crying?

The green haired boy slowly made his way to the other lad, not wanting to startle the blue eyed teen. He sat down on the edge of the bed, running his hands through blonde locks and humming softly. He'd wait for Luke to turn to him... He didn't have to wait long.  
Luke flipped over, burying his face in Michael's stomach, tears soaking through the older boy's shirt. Mikey smoothed his hands over the blonde's back, rubbing soothing circles as he asked, "What's wrong, Penguin?"  
Luke didn't even need to answer as Calum burst into the room, blatantly irate.  
"Do you know what Ashton did?" And at Mikey's head shake, the dark eyed boy continued, "Well he fucking raged at Luke! Said a shit load of bullshit and some stuff that has probably fucked up Luke's esteem even more. I can't fucking believe it!"  
"Wait wait wait, are you serious? He did that?" Calum's confirmation had Michael's face softening as he pulled Luke closer. "Is it true, Penguin? Did Ashton yell and scream nasty words at you?"  
Luke nodded, burrowing further into the older boy, and reaching a hand back blindly for Calum. The tanned lad quickly complied, all but sprinting over to the bed and locking his fingers with Luke's.  
"I'm gonna go talk to Ashton. You're too mad, Luke's too upset, and I really wanna know why the fuck he thought it'd be okay to mess with Penguin."  
With that, Mikey left the room, marching down the corridor and flinging open the door to Ash and Calum's room.

"What the actual _fuck_ , Irwin? Besides me, you should know better than anyone about how Luke feels."  
"I know Mikey, I know! I fucked up! I let my frustration at not being allowed to go with him to his review boil over and I lashed out in anger. It was a serious dick move, and as soon as Luke left I realised what I'd done."  
Michael's eyes softened, even though his mouth remained as a grim line. He could sort of understand why Ash had done what he'd done, but that didn't make it right. He said as much to the older lad.  
"I can almost understand why, but I'm not happy. Lukey's probably cried himself to sleep by now, Calum's with him, but as soon as he wakes up, you're apologising. I don't care if you have to grovel on your hands and knees for a whole 24 hours straight. You're gonna make this right."  
After seeing Ashton's nod of acquiescence, Michael left the room, returning to his own. Sure enough, Luke was curled up with Calum, both of the younger teens sleeping peacefully. The green haired lad sighed, covering the two up with Luke's blankets, tucking them in.

A few hours later, Ashton was stood outside of Luke and Michael's room, nervously playing with the hem of his shirt. So lost in his thoughts of how to apologise to the youngest boy, he never noticed said boy opening the door.  
Seeing Ash stood there had Luke's eyes immediately seeking out the safety of the floor. He didn't want to see how much of a burden he was to the older lad.  
Looking up, Ash's heart broke at how terrified Luke seemed. He outstretched a hand slowly, gently and carefully wrapping long fingers around a tiny wrist. Pulling the blue eyed teen into his arms, Ashton hugged him tight, and the apologies just tumbled free, as did the tears.  
"Oh my god, Lukey, I'm so sorry, so so sorry! I didn't mean a word of it, I swear on everything I love I didn't mean a single syllable, honest! I was just so mad I couldn't come with you to your review, I couldn't calm down or relax and my anger at the situation boiled over and I lashed out at you. And I hurt you, I know I did, but I'm so sorry for it. Please believe me when I say I never meant anything I said to you..."

An hour later, Calum opened the door to his and Ashton's room. It was empty. Stepping back into the hallway, he saw Mikey standing in front of his room, the door wide open. Curiosity took over, and the dark eyed boy joined his green haired friend. He realised why Michael was staring.  
There, curled up entirely on top of Ashton, was Luke. The blonde's head was tucked into the juncture between Ash's neck and shoulder, arms folded up to his chest. Cold toes were tucked into the drummer's bent knees, the warmth of the joint seeping through purple socks.  
Strong arms locked protectively around a narrow waist, Ashton had his lips pressed to Luke's temple. His legs flexed unconsciously in his sleep, absently bending his knees more before relaxing, thus squeezing Luke's toes. The blankets were wrapped around the oldest's ankles, trapping him in the bed - no complaints there.  
Mikey and Calum exchanged smiles, happy that all was seemingly well with the other two boys.


	8. Break Down and Relapse - Ashton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so this is part one of five, reason being this:
> 
> "for the gmt prompts maybe you could do one for each boy where they break down in some way or are struggling like maybe luke could relapse or stop eating again idk it could be major fluff" ~ tumblr anon  
> "gmt prompts: a chapter with each boy relapsing maybe? so an individual chapter for each that could be cute" ~ tumblr anon  
> "gmt prompt: a long luke centered one (maybe 2 parts?) where he stops eating again and the boys notice and try to get him back to eating but he breaks down at the table and the doctors maybe have to help him/feed him for a bit? idk just like a really angsty luke one which turns fluffy" ~ tumblr anon  
> "Can you do a long one about Luke relapsing in both ways. Like something happens with another patient or staff member or even a family member that comes to visit and Luke starts to scratch himself until he bleeds again and eating is very difficult. And just tears and cuddles and the boys telling him he's perfect at the end? xx" ~ LukeHemmingsIsMyKryptonite
> 
> So yeah....

He was staring at the ceiling. Again.

For the fourth night in a row, Ashton wasn't asleep, despite going to bed six hours ago.  
If he was honest, it scared him a little. Were the meds not working? The nightmares weren't back, so why was he awake?  
Snuffles from the other bed merely reminded him of the thing he wasn't doing. Sleeping. Ash sighed, climbing out of bed and stretching in place before he made his way to the bathroom.  
Glaring back at him was an exhausted looking teenager. Dark circles made it look like someone had punched him in the nose, the skin slightly inflamed at the same time. The smudges were the least of his problems, as his curls hung limply over his forehead, occasionally brushing into his bloodshot eyes. He tried to smile, he really did, but stubbornly, the corners of his mouth remained downturned. His naturally sun kissed complexion had paled, and he genuinely looked ill.  
Insomnia was a bitch.

The next day, well later that same day, went horrifically. Tiredness coupled with an increasingly short temper had a normally jovial lad snapping and swearing at just over half the people he came into contact with.  
None of the boys knew what was wrong with the eldest, they just knew that _something_ was wrong; although Calum started to get an inkling when he found Ashton curled up in what must've been the most uncomfortable position ever.  
Tucked up behind his bed, the tanned boy wouldn't have even seen the curly haired teen if he hadn't been going to his own side of the room. Ash had one legged stuck between his drawers and the wall, the gap looked a little tight and provoked the thought _Is he actually stuck there and now he's fallen asleep?_. His head rested against the bottom curved corner of the mattress and the wall, uncomfortably sandwiched between the two materials, neck twisted slightly so it'd be a pain when he woke up; his arms were folded around his other leg, the knee drawn up to his chest.  
Calum crouched down, reaching out a hand to shake the older lad's shoulder. He felt bad about it, but if Ash slept now, there'd be no way he'd sleep at all later.

Waking up to someone shaking him, Ashton yelped and shot a hand out, catching the shirt of his 'assailant'. He jerked their body to the side, pushing them over onto the floor before letting go and opening his eyes.  
Calum himself yelped as he was grabbed and flung onto his side. "Ashton!"  
Spotting the tanned boy sprawled on the floor, Ash gave him a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry dude."  
Unable to stop it, Calum smiled a little and sat up, crossing his legs and facing the older lad. Giving him an appraising look, he asked innocently, "Is your insomnia acting up?"  
A splutter was his response, and Calum had his answer.  
Pulling what was referred to as "The Luke", the dark haired teen cast sad, round eyes to the other boy, "Why didn't you just tell us?"  
Despite catching the dirty trick for what it was, Ashton answered honestly, "I didn't want to worry you guys. Last time it happened, Luke refused to sleep until I did because he didn't want me to be lonely. And then of course, Mikey joined in on it."  
"I would'nt've let that happen a second time you know. In case you forgot, we share a room now. You'll never be lonely with me around." Calum attempted to lighten the mood. "And now that I know, I have a plan. 'Operation: Bed Time, Ashton'."  
Twin laughs echoed around the room.

As it approached evening, the boys were on their way back from dinner when both Luke and Ashton yawned. Having reached the TV and games room, the spontaneous choice of a movie night was unanimously decided on the spot. The four boys split up temporarily, going to their rooms and snatching up any available pillows and blankets. Rendezvousing back at the chosen room, they set about making a blanket fort.  
Curling up in a pile inside the fort, the boys couldn't've been comfier.  
Ashton sat in the middle, Calum and Luke cuddling him from either side. The blonde had his head on the drummer's chest, arm curled around his waist and legs entangled together. Calum rested his head on the eldest's shoulder, dark hair tickling Ash's ear and cheek. Mikey resembled a kitten, curled over all three sets of legs, acting as a human blanket whilst his head and arms settled agreeably on and around a pillow at Luke's feet. A large, over sized, and possibly overly thick duvet was draped around their shoulders, Michael having his own quilt covering his whole body.  
After several moments of bickering, a film was finally decided upon: The A-Team.

Luke only lasted for the first half an hour, tiredness coupled with excessive warmth and comfort sending him off to sleep. Calum was next, following their ages, just over 45 minutes in was when his eyelids finally stopped fighting. Michael was so close to drifting off, now just under an hour since Luke had dropped off. Looking up at the other boys, he smiled as he saw the two younger lads sleeping peacefully. His smile widened to a sleepy yet gleeful beam as he saw Ashton had joined them in sleep. The older teen looked relaxed, a deep sleep smoothing all lines from his face and leaving him looking almost serene.  
Mikey switched the TV off, the sounds of gunfire quieting as he snuggled down for the night, happy in that _everyone_ was asleep.


	9. Break Down and Relapse - Michael

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is part two of the five part mini series Break Down and Relapse. This time it's Michael.
> 
> For the prompts:
> 
> "for the gmt prompts maybe you could do one for each boy where they break down in some way or are struggling like maybe luke could relapse or stop eating again idk it could be major fluff" ~ tumblr anon  
> "gmt prompts: a chapter with each boy relapsing maybe? so an individual chapter for each that could be cute" ~ tumblr anon  
> "gmt prompt: a long luke centered one (maybe 2 parts?) where he stops eating again and the boys notice and try to get him back to eating but he breaks down at the table and the doctors maybe have to help him/feed him for a bit? idk just like a really angsty luke one which turns fluffy" ~ tumblr anon  
> "Can you do a long one about Luke relapsing in both ways. Like something happens with another patient or staff member or even a family member that comes to visit and Luke starts to scratch himself until he bleeds again and eating is very difficult. And just tears and cuddles and the boys telling him he's perfect at the end? xx" ~ LukeHemmingsIsMyKryptonite"
> 
> So yeah, part two!

It was happening again.

Despite taking all of his meds, all the right doses too, his separation anxiety was acting up. It was acting up a lot.  
It was one thing to want the boys (Luke in particular) to be close at all times, it was another to not let them out of his sight. It was another thing _entirely_ when he would sniffle and tear up if he couldn't find any of them the very instance he wanted to find them.  
It was bad.

Michael frowned, curling up closer to Ashton, his anxiety creeping a little higher as his eyes darted around the room in search of Luke and Calum. Unable to find them, his fingers folded the material of the drummer's t-shirt between them. His knuckles paled even further than his regular skin tone, going whiter than normal.  
Sensing the tension that had suddenly flooded through Mikey's body, Ash rubbed a hand up and down the younger lad's arm, his touch soothing and he soon had Michael slumped against him once more.  
"What's bothering you, Mikey?"  
He only received a head shake and a quiet, "Nothing," in response. He nodded slightly, not convinced in the slightest.

Calum snuggled up to the green haired boy, though it was less green now, more a faded lime-yellow colour. He tucked his head under the older lad's chin, dark hair tickling Michael's cheeks and lips. The guitarist huffed a slightly sad chuckle, pressing Calum closer to himself.  
The feel of Mikey holding him tighter had both suspicion and concern rising in the dark eyed boy, the feel of the other lad's arm barred across his chest worrying.  
"You alright there, Michael?"  
Feeling the older teen nod, Calum shook of his previous questions, although his concern didn't disappear one bit.

It all came to a head when Luke burst into the TV room, a beam plastered to his cheeks and frantically seeking out Michael. His expression changed drastically when he couldn't find the older lad. Turning around, he'd just had his hand on the door knob to leave when said door suddenly flew open, hitting the youngest in the cheek and sending him to the floor. His endless limbs were sprawled around him in a heap, a small trickle of blood leaking from the split skin of his cheek. Looking up, he saw Michael staring at him in horror.  
"Penguin! Oh my god, oh my god, I am so sorry, I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to!" the older boy was panicking, rushing forward and scooping Luke up into his arms.  
He carried him over to the couch and pressed the blonde's face to his chest. Nose tucked into the golden locks, Michael huffed out several upset and muffled apologies, then he pleaded.  
"Please don't leave me, Penguin. I'm so sorry, I honestly didn't mean to, I didn't know you were behind the door, please don't leave, please!"  
Luke sat up sharply at that, turning to Michael with wide, sad eyes. He pressed a kiss to the other lad's forehead, successfully silencing the panicked flurry of words. Holding up a finger in the universal sign of 'wait a minute', he stood from the sofa, pressing a second kiss to Michael's forehead before leaving the room.

Ashton moved across the room, taking a seat at the foot of Calum's bed - careful not to sit on the tanned boy's feet. He looked up through a few of his curls, making sure Calum was completely aware of his presence, attention fully focused.  
"Have you noticed something wrong with Michael recently?"  
Taking a moment to absorb the heavy question, the dark haired lad responded, "Yeah. Not so much wrong, but... Off? He doesn't seem himself."  
"He's a lot more touch dependent. Like, he wants a lot more hugs than normal."  
"He didn't want to let me go the other day. He just tightened his arms and when I asked him if he was alright, he just nodded." Calum recounted the events of earlier in the day.  
"Do you think there's something up with his meds? Or his anxiety is getting worse and the meds he has aren't working as well?"  
The dark eyed lad only shrugged in response, and that's where the conversation ended as they were interrupted but Luke bursting through the door.  
Looking up sharply, the two older teens took in their youngest's haggard appearance and blood smeared cheek.

"What the fuck?!" Ashton screeched, rushing to his feet and stomping across the room to gently cradle Luke's face in his large palms, "Lukey, what the hell happened to your cheek?"  
The older lads watched in mild confusion as Luke pulled away from the eldest and mimed the door opening against his face.  
"Who smacked a door in your face?" Calum pressed, walking over to the duo and peering at the still bleeding, but thankfully shallow, laceration that ran from just level beside his right eye down to level with the crease of his lips.  
Instead of answering, Luke simply grabbed a hand from each of the other boys and pulled them along behind him to the TV room. Upon opening the door, three hearts broke at once.

Michael was openly weeping, fat tears rolling down his pale cheeks and soaking into his shirt.  
Unable to stand it, Luke dashed across the room and threw himself into the older lad's arms, burrowing into his chest and tucking his face into the guitarist's neck. The other boys wasted no time hanging around at the door, and soon Michael was encased in teenage limbs.  
"Mikey, tell us what's going on. Please? We just wanna help you." Calum cooed quietly, curling himself under the pale lad's left arm.  
Ashton nodded in agreement, wrapping his arms around both Michael and Luke.  
"I just... My separation anxiety, it's coming back. I don't want you guys to leave me..." The not so green haired boy whispered sadly, pressing his cheek to the top of Luke's head.  
Silence rang through the room before it was broken - by Luke.

"M-M-Mikey. Y-you idiot-t. We-e'd n-never do that t-t-to you. We l-l-love y-you."  
Despite the words being slightly muffled, the biggest grin imaginable stretched across Michael's face, and the tension in all four of them dissipated into nothing. The smile was quickly replaced by a frown however when Mikey's fingers ran across Luke's cheek.  
"We need to get you looked at, Penguin. I want that cut fixing."  
"D-don't w-worry about it-t, fix i-it later."  
Somehow Michael was satisfied, and for the first time in days, he wasn't worried about anything.


	10. Break Down and Relapse - Calum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is part three of the five part mini series Break Down and Relapse. Now for Calum.
> 
> For the prompts:
> 
> "for the gmt prompts maybe you could do one for each boy where they break down in some way or are struggling like maybe luke could relapse or stop eating again idk it could be major fluff" ~ tumblr anon  
>  "gmt prompts: a chapter with each boy relapsing maybe? so an individual chapter for each that could be cute" ~ tumblr anon  
>  "gmt prompt: a long luke centered one (maybe 2 parts?) where he stops eating again and the boys notice and try to get him back to eating but he breaks down at the table and the doctors maybe have to help him/feed him for a bit? idk just like a really angsty luke one which turns fluffy" ~ tumblr anon  
>  "Can you do a long one about Luke relapsing in both ways. Like something happens with another patient or staff member or even a family member that comes to visit and Luke starts to scratch himself until he bleeds again and eating is very difficult. And just tears and cuddles and the boys telling him he's perfect at the end? xx" ~ LukeHemmingsIsMyKryptonite"
> 
> Here we go!

He should've been asleep hours ago, he knew that, he did. However, sleep would not come. It hadn't come for an entire week.

And that terrified him.

Staring up at a blank ceiling, with blank eyes and a blank mind, Calum pulled his covers closer around himself, curling into the hollow warmth they provided. His thoughts became invasive, a sudden rush all at once overwhelming him.

 _Your insomnia is back. You'll never get better. You're going to need more meds. You'll be stuck here forever._  
Like a song, the words were chanted over and over as some form of sick, twisted mantra, plaguing his mind with doubt and consequently: fear. They took on a darker note after cycling through several times - attacking his friends and his family with nasty comments and petrifying sincerity that Calum couldn't be sure was false.  
 _You'll be like Luke, stuck here until the day you die because you know he won't get better. And neither will you._  
 _Ash and Mikey, you know they're on their way out of the hospital. They're improving, they can get better because they're stronger than you. Look how quickly they recovered after their relapses._  
 _Your family always knew you'd only get worse, that's why they sent you away. They didn't want the burden that you are weighing them down._  
 _Even Luke, poor, unfortunate, messed up Luke. That poor boy doesn't deserve to be here, not like you do. As dependent as he is, even he won't need you the longer you're stuck here._

A gasp flew out into the quiet of the room, the harsh huff of breath enough to wake Ashton. The curly haired boy sat up, rubbing a fist at his eyes to rid them of sleep.  
"Cal? Wha's wrong?" He slurred questioningly, sitting up straighter and yawning.  
"Nothing, it's nothing. Just a bad dream." the tanned lad lied easily, used to casting off the same spiel to his parents when they'd find him clattering about at four in the morning.  
"Aww Cal!" Ash cooed quietly, waving a hand at him sympathetically - _somehow that gesture made sense to the eldest_ \- before rolling back under his quilt comfortably, "That's all it was, just a bad dream."  
"Yeah, I'll be fine, go back to sleep, Ashton." The soft answering snores made him chuckle.

The next day, Luke was taken away.

The atmosphere of the ARD Youth floor was sombre to say the least. Not one smile had been cracked all day, the youngest having been led away earlier that morning. The reason why still hadn't been fully revealed to the remaining boys, but all of them had an inkling that it was to do with the fact he hadn't been eating much the past few days.  
Calum's levels of tiredness had been on a steep incline for several days, and that day, coupled with Luke being herded away was what broke him. Despite being in the middle of the hallway, the tanned lad laid down on the floor. He curled into a ball, head tucked into his chest and knees pressed to his forehead.  
Ashton walked by, staring at the younger boy oddly before realisation smacked him in the face like a brick. He hurried his way to the downed lad, poking at his shoulder gently before shaking his head and lifting Calum up into his arms. He kicked at a devastated Mikey's door, telling him to come to his and Calum's room before making his way to said destination.  
He laid the dark eyed teen on the bed, covering him with his blankets before smoothing down ruffled spikes of raven hair. Michael entered the room not a minute later, concern written all over his face.  
"Is he okay? What happened? Do I need to get Rian?"  
Ashton shook his head, looking up with sad eyes and murmuring, "Get Luke."  
The faded green haired lad didn't need telling twice, and he left the room immediately.

He decided against the elevator and ran down the double flight of stairs to Floor 5, speeding through the corridors and ignoring any odd looks he gained. Reaching the office at the end, he opened the door without knocking, and immediately started spilling why he needed Luke back.  
After a few moments of silence, Michael looked up, seeing that it was actually Alex who stood in front of him.  
"Dude, slow down! Take a deep breath, come on, do as I say."  
Mikey did as instructed, repeating it twice more without prompt.  
"Good, now, say everything you just said, but so I can understand it this time."  
The guitarist did, quickly but coherently spilling the information he knew. Alex was clearly paying attention, nodding and making the appropriate noises in response. He shook his head sadly after the teen had finished talking.  
"I'm sorry, Mikey, but Luke really needs this right now. If we take him away from it, it could have serious consequences." the doctor informed him regretfully.  
"But Calum _needs_ him, hell, we _all_ need him, but right now, Calum does the most." He decided he had no choice but to play dirty. "Look, you know how much Luke loves you all, you know, you and Rian, Zack and Jack, but you also know how much he hates therapy of any kind. You know how well he's been doing since Calum got here. I mean, I'm no doctor, but even I can tell Luke's actually starting to _enjoy_ eating, instead of merely acknowledging that it's a necessary evil for him. Calum is part of that. Calum helped that. Now let Luke help Calum."  
Alex sighed, knowing that the lad had a point. He took out his phone, firing off a quick text to Rian and Zack, telling them to take Luke to his room and cancel the therapy. Knowing he wouldn't be questioned, the doctor tucked his phone into his pocket and shot an annoyed look at the teenager and muttered playfully, "You win this time, Clifford."  
Sending the man a beam, Mikey waved a hand in thanks before darting back towards the elevator - he just hoped he'd timed it right.

He had. Just as he'd removed his hand from the button, Michael watched the doors open and stood inside the lift was Luke, flanked by Zack and Rian. The blonde beamed at the sight of his roommate, automatically stretching his arms towards the older boy.  
"Penguin!" Mikey exclaimed, looping his arms around Luke and pulling him into his chest. "We need you mate, you've gotta fix Calum."  
He felt more than saw the concerned frown creasing Luke's face, and the blue eyed teen pulled back enough to look Michael dead in the eyes in question.  
"We don't know, we're hoping you'd find out for us."  
Luke nodded at his 'mission', ignoring the doctors' calls for him to come back as he darted from the elevator towards Ash and Calum's room; Michael was right behind him.

Ashton looked up, startled, as the bedroom door flew open. He grinned in relief as he saw the blue eyed boy stood in the entryway. Gesturing to the sleeping Calum, Ashton motioned Luke over, grabbing him by the waist and pressing him into Calum's unconsciously stretched out arms.  
The moment the dark haired boy felt the warm weight of the younger lad, his eyes shot open, chocolate hues darting around slightly before realising that Luke was back. He shuffled slightly, adjusting his hold on the blonde teen - tucking his nose into the golden locks.  
"Lukey." Calum breathed out quietly, eyes already slipping shut.  
Luke cuddled closer, his own eyes closing in relief that the older boy seemed okay. He was faintly aware of the door being shut, but he paid more attention to the owner of the arms surrounding him.

Outside, Ashton wrapped an arm around Michael's shoulders, herding him towards his own room.  
"I think Cal's insomnia had come back, he told me he hadn't slept in a week. Well, he mumbled it in slight delirium due to sleep deprivation, but close enough. He was so worried about Luke and his eating habits that he forgot that worry and anxiety are his main triggers for his insomnia."  
Michael rolled his eyes, chuckling almost forlornly as he replied with, "They're as bad as each other. Penguin nearly had a heart attack when I told him Calum needed his help. Hopefully now they'll both get better."  
Hugging the younger lad tightly a moment, Ashton nodded and said, "Well at least Calum's sleeping now. And hopefully he'll stay that way until at least tomorrow morning."  
"With a Lukey-Bear, I don't think that'll be a problem."


	11. NOT A CHAPTER PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT

So hey, me again. Not a chapter, I apologise for that but school is a bitch and I don't have much time to write but I'll post when I can. Anyways, this is just to announce that, due to the apparent success this story has had, I have made a tumblr dedicated to this and only this. I literally made it 10 minutes ago, so there is nothing on it yet, however the description will tell you everything. You can still comment prompts on here, but there's a wider variety of option over at 5sos-givemetherapy.tumblr.com

So yeah! There's that now, please check it out if you're interested, the future of GMT lies within that blog


	12. Break Down and Relapse - Luke (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ IT'S IMPORTANT!  
> THIS CHAPTER MAY BE TRIGGERING AS IT CONTAINS ACTUAL DESCRIPTION OF SELF HARM AND IT'S SLIGHTLY GRAPHIC. IF IT WILL TRIGGER YOU PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS, AND I AM SO SORRY BUT IT WAS NEEDED FOR THE STORY.
> 
> Wow... I'm such a shit it's unreal. I'm so so so so so sorry for how late this is, but yeah this is part four of BDaR. You know what prompts it's come from by now, so yeah. Part 4!

The _'plink, plink, plink'_ of the crimson droplets hitting cold tile resonated in the silence of the bathroom. Russet tracks snaked their way around the clean white of the floor, the crusted blood caked under cracked and jaggedly bitten nails making it harder for more raised welts to form over translucent, bony wrists. The sound of flesh finally splitting open, tearing under the force of his own hands was music to Luke's ears, a devastatingly twisted smile morphing his face to hold a manic appearance. He knew the boys couldn't find out, he knew that, but a certain part if him wanted them to. They'd stop him, and he could get better again, not just fall into the same cycle every time being 'normal' became too much.  
He decided he'd done enough for now, and flicked on the shower. Waiting for the warm water to run through, long fingers trailed through lines of scarlet; tracing over faded white scratches; along some of the most natural coloured slashes his arms and wrists held.  
Stepping into the shower, large blue eyes watched as pink swirled down the drain, the slight sting of warm water hitting bleeding wrists as much a comfort as it was a curse.  
Luke quickly rushed through his bathing routine, washing his hair and body in under five minutes before he stepped out of the shower. Wrapping himself in a fluffy towel, he rummaged through the cupboard under the sink, shifting aside spare toilet rolls and extra towels to find what he was looking for: the first aid kit.

Opening up the kit, he sifted through the items, pulling out what he deemed necessary from previous experience. Scar cream, antibacterial wipes and cream, gauze, medical tape and a bandage were laid out nearly on the side as Luke zipped up the first aid kit.  
He set to work, wiping away the blood and hissing at the sharp sting that came from antiseptic hitting a cut. He slathered some antibacterial cream onto his fingers, gently and meticulously smoothing it over his scratches. He wiped his hand off on his towel, then picked up the scar cream and repeated the process over his older 'handiwork'. Wiping his hand off again, Luke then snatched up the gauze and placed the square over the section of his wrist which had been damaged. He bandaged his wrist slowly and carefully, ensuring the four corners of gauze were covered and the lines were neat. He bit off a piece of medical tape, sticking it across the end of the bandage, then bit off another piece to ensure that it definitely wouldn't come loose.  
Ensuring the bandage was secure - not tight enough to cut off his circulation, but firm in its hold on his arm so that it didn't twist or slide - Luke left the bathroom, cautiously poking his head round the door to check the coast was clear.  
Dressing in a pair of cut off sweats, a t-shirt he thought belonged to Michael and a hoodie he knew as his own, the blonde slipped his feet into a pair of socks and left the bedroom, following the shouts to the games room.

He entered the room quietly - as if he ever made much noise - and sat down on the sofa. The other boys were so focused on their FIFA game that at first, no one noticed his arrival. Then, tossing his head back in despair, Calum caught sight of him and threw him a soft smile, placing his controller down and climbing to his feet.  
The dark haired lad stretched on the spot before padding over and joining Luke on the sofa, extending his arms and murmuring, "Cuddle?"  
The blue eyed teen thought he'd never ask. He turned and curled into the tanned boy's side, tucking his face into Calum's shoulder. The older lad started running his fingers through the (now) dry, golden locks - a small smile pulled at his lips due to the softness of the blonde strands - and pulled the other boy closer.  
By this point, Ashton and Michael had looked up from their game, seeing the position the youngest two were in. They decided to leave it alone, knowing Luke cuddled any and all of them as he pleased. They started up another game of FIFA, insults already starting to fly despite it only being the first 'five' minutes of the game.

Half an hour later and Ashton called it quits, sick of Mikey beating him over and over. He glanced at the time on the TV, standing up quickly and grinning wildly. Looking over at the younger boys, he let out a quiet coo as he noted that both were asleep, Calum's hands still moving through Luke's hair. Mikey looked over too at the soft sound Ashton emitted, letting out a happy little huff.  
"Are we gonna wake them for lunch? Or abandon them here to starve?"  
"Michael! We can't do that! Lukey-Bear hasn't been eating enough lately as it is."  
This cause the younger boy to frown.  
"You've noticed that too, huh?"  
Ashton nodded, curls flopping in front of his eyes for a moment before he pushed them back.  
"I think he's been doing the other thing too. I saw a strip of white under the navy of that hoodie. I can assure you it had nothing to do with the paleness of his skin."  
Mikey's frown deepened, and he stood from his position of sitting cross legged in front of the TV. He crossed the room quickly enough, approaching the sleeping boys quietly. Crouching slightly, he took hold of Luke's wrist, feeling the bones slot together as he tugged it from the cuff of the sleeve.  
"Fuck." he uttered softly, "Fuck fuck fucking fuckity fucking fuck."  
His words slowly brought Calum from his sleep, brown eyes blinking open owlishly.  
"Wha's goin' on?" He slurred, sleep lacing his voice.  
Ashton jumped, having not seen Calum wake up, and answered sadly, "I think Lukey's started hurting himself again."

Calum's swearing was enough to wake any napping human startle into consciousness four countries over - this included one Lucas "Luke" Hemmings. The blonde fell off the sofa in his shock.  
Alarmed baby blues stared up at the older boys questioningly, a guilty sheen slowly glazing over his eyes as all three stared pointedly at his wrist.  
"Penguin?" Mikey started, sitting down and patting the sofa next to him, waiting for Luke and the other lads to join him before continuing, "Why? Why did you start again after you'd been doing so well?"  
Luke opened his mouth, ready to actually _speak_ and tell them why, but the words died in his throat at the sad and disappointed looks the other teens were giving him.  
"Lukey-Bear, we just wanna help. We won't even tell Zack and Alex if that's what you need to stop again." Ashton added, seeing how Luke seemed to freeze up.  
"I-I-I d-don't know h-how to-o stop f-for g-g-good. I w-wanna but-t I c-can't. I-it's l-like b-being nor-ormal for t-too-oo long m-makes m-m-me bad-d again." Luke finally answered, forcing his mouth and tongue to form the words he so desperately needed to say.  
"How do you mean, Lukey?" Calum asked quietly, his left hand drifting to wrap around the tall boy's waist, fingers rubbing soothing circles.  
"L-l-like if I-I don't-t do it e-e-every once-ce in a-a w-while I'll g-go mad-d. It's-s l-like I need t-to d-do it. Z-Zack kn-knows about-t it and h-he's t-trying-g to w-work out h-how to f-fix it-t." Luke's stutter had gotten progressively worse as his stress about the situation rose.  
"Aww Lukey-Bear, it's okay," Ash soothed, "we'll all be here to help you as and when you need it."  
Tears welled up, magnifying large blue eyes even more and each boy felt both heartbreak and hope at the sight. Luke only nodded in reply, extending his arms out and the four boys had a group cuddle before Michael's stomach reminded them about lunch.

Little did they know, that solving that problem, was just the beginning...


	13. Break Down and Relapse - Luke (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm sorry this is late, and I'm shitty, but I've just dropped the subject that was taking up way too much time from my college timetable so I'll have more time to write and stuff so yay. Also, there'll be an announcement in the end notes, so keep an eye out for that.

Sitting in the lunch hall provided a hell of a lot more drama than any of the three older boys had anticipated. Luke being taken away had shocked all of them to the core, but nowhere near to the extent that the blonde's reaction had.

After dealing with the revelations on their floor, Mikey's stomach had reminded them all that food was awaiting them downstairs. Lifting Luke up, Calum had carried the younger lad much like you would a toddler, sitting the blonde on his hip before sliding him into a piggyback. Ashton led the way, tugging on Michael's hand and pulling him after him towards the elevator. They reached the dining hall not even five minutes later, and the four boys sat down for a moment.  
"What's everyone fancying for lunch?" Ashton asked, feet tapping impatiently as he itched to go and get his food.  
"I'm thinking ham and cheese, a classic."  
"Mikey, you nearly always have that. Live a little, dude!" Calum laughed, punching the older boy in the shoulder lightly.  
"I'll have you know, that I don't always..."  
Luke had stopped listening by this point, the argument between Michael and Calum being the same one they'd had two days before, and the day before that, and three days before _that_. The squabble wasn't new and he really didn't feel like listening again. Or eating.  
He knew that part wouldn't fly though.

Ashton had also stopped paying attention to the middle lads, the age old bickering amusing, but not enough to override the concern thrumming through his body with every beat of his heart.  
There was something wrong with Luke, and he had a feeling something was going to kick off. The question was: _what **exactly** was it going to be?_ He looked to his right at the younger teen, noting the pale colouring of his skin, and the dark circles ringing his eyes.  
The curly haired boy shook his head, shooting the blue eyed lad a smile when he caught the concerned gaze directed at him. _I'm sure Luke'll be fine, as long as he eats something now, it'll all be fine._ he thought to himself, watching as Michael stood from his seat, self-righteous disgruntlement coating his features as he looked down at Calum.  
Ashton couldn't help but laugh.

Despite carrying on the forever ongoing debate over whether Michael's penchant for ham and cheese was bordering on routine or not, Calum was still conscious enough of his surroundings to see the cogs in Luke's head turning. _He's gonna skip, I know he is._  
"Lukey, what do you want for lunch?" he asked, feigning innocent curiosity.  
The sound of the dark haired lad's voice startled Luke from his momentary break from reality. The blonde shook his head, both to snap himself fully aware, and in answer to Calum's question.  
"You not hungry?" Ash copied Calum's lead, frowning slightly as Michael also caught on.  
"You only ate half of your dinner last night, and you didn't have breakfast this morning either."  
The blue eyed boy shrugged, his supposed nonchalance about the situation irking Mikey to the point of anger. The guitarist thumped his hand down on the table, the curled fist making a dull thud as it made contact with the surface.  
"Dammit Luke, you can't starve yourself, you can't! We need you, okay? I need you, so you _need_ to eat, okay?"  
Luke shook his head, tucking his trembling hands under his shirt, wrapping his arms around himself in a semblance of a hug. He murmured a soft and surprisingly non-stuttered reply.  
"I can't."

At Luke's quiet confession, the three teens exchanged concerned glances, but all were oblivious to the sudden look of outrage on the blonde's face. He stood up, palms slamming down on the table with a painful slapping sound, a snarl curling his lip up. Before he could even stop himself, he was yelling, stuttering only occasionally in his ire.  
"You have n-no idea what I h-h-have to dea-eal with do you? No! You d-don't have those v-voices in your head that-t tell you to hurt yourself and t-to not eat because you're f-fat enough already."  
Luke's stutter came back with a vengeance as he became more and more upset. His breathing started to border on erratic, concerning the older boys.  
"M-M-My anxiety is s-still awf-ful b-but-t all any-y-one c-cares ab-b-bout is my f-f-fucking w-weight n-not my h-head. Even-n y-you guys j-j-just w-wanna fix my b-body. Tha-at's not m-me!"  
The yelling had attracted the attention of everyone in the dining hall, including Jack, Alex, Zack and Rian. The two doctors made their way over first, slowly moving the older boys away from the blue eyed lad. Zack followed next, stepping close to Luke and gently and carefully wrapping his fingers around Luke's bicep. The teen went with the movement, slowly being pulled away and turned to face Jack.  
"Lukey-poo, do you want to eat anything? Anything you want, you can have." Jack probed softly, tilting his head like a curious puppy.  
Luke had resumed his silence, simply shaking his head in response. The motion however, seemed to be the catalyst for the movement which caused the boys to be in the situation they were now.

After shaking his head, Luke paled, wobbling on his feet, knees buckling as he collapsed to the floor. Luckily, Zack noticed the change in the lad's demeanour and was quick enough to catch him. Alex shot over, crouching beside a now kneeling Zack, slowly feeling along Luke's wrist for his pulse. Heaving out a sigh of relief, the doctor looked up and confirmed to all those watching,  
"He's okay, just passed out."  
The collective sigh that escaped everyone in the dining hall warmed the lads' hearts momentarily, before the cold clutch of fear gripped them once more. They looked down at Luke's prone form: Calum gnawing on his bottom lip worriedly; Ashton wringing his hands together; Mikey playing with the hem of his shirt - twisting the material between his fingers.  
Zack started murmuring to Alex, quietly informing him he'd take Luke to the Med Bay. With that final comment, the man stood, holding the blonde teenager in his arms delicately - tossing a grateful smile at Jack as he ran ahead to open doors.

This had all led the boys to where they were now: waiting outside the Med Bay. Calum had his fingers interlocked with Michael's, occasionally squeezing the older lad's hand for comfort. Ashton stood on Mikey's other side, his arm wrapped around the guitarists shoulders.  
Rian exited the Med Bay, almost crashing into the huddle of teenagers. He looked up from his clipboard, a small smile on his face.  
"He's passed his review."

Time seemed to stand still at that statement. Not one of the boys dared to breathe. Finally, Ashton broke the silence and questioned softly,  
"He passed? Like for real?"  
The doctor nodded, turning his clipboard round to show them the large red stamped confirmation that Lucas Robert Hemmings had passed his review.  
There was another moment of silence before the three cheered, whooping and laughing, years starting to build up in their eyes as they realised _Luke did it. He **passed**!_  
Rian chuckled at their reaction, his laughs being joined by Alex's own when the other doctor left Luke's current room.  
"Can we see him?" Michael asked suddenly, all laughter coming to an abrupt end.  
At twin nods, the lads grinned and pushed their way past the men stood in the doorway, barging into the room and startling an animatedly talking Jack. Luke looked up, a pained and guilty expression plastered to his features. He opened his mouth, prepared to apologise when Ash held up a hand. Jack exchanged a glance with Zack, nodding at the other man's reaction and the two left to give the teens some privacy.  
"We're sorry. Damn Lukey, we're all so so sorry. We wanted you to be well, we didn't realise what we were doing. We're so sorry, and we know we were all dicks. But we hope you can forgive us." Calum spoke what was on each older lad's mind.  
The blonde nodded, pausing a moment before smiling shyly and extending his arms - the universal sign for a hug.

When Zack and Alex checked up on them half an hour later, they left chuckling at the sight of the four boys squished onto the tiny bed. Limbs were strewn everywhere, but the group couldn't have been comfier, and Luke, cocooned in the middle, couldn't have felt more loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in the next chapter, I'm gonna post a list of my current prompts. Anything in brackets are my personal notes, so ignore those. I'm gonna let you guys vote now for which prompt you want to be next, just so that I can meet demand. I know it seems unfair because I've had some prompts for a long time, but I hit blocks sometimes so this way I can know what's most wanted.


	14. Sort of Lashton: Broken Glasses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is ridiculously late, but school is full of fucktards who take up too much of my time. Anyways, here's prompt #28, which was:  
> "luke accidentally breaks ashtons glasses and thinks ashton will be mad so he goes all shy and reclusive again but ashton finds out and it's all fluffy and he has to go get new glasses which means leaving the hospital for a few hours with one of the doctors and he convinces them to let luke come and help him choose new glasses? major cuteness ~ Tumblr anon"

Ashton left the bathroom, tossing his glasses onto his bed without a second thought. He left his and Calum's room in search of the other boys, checking the music room first, and then Luke and Michael's room. What he saw made him laugh, and Calum and Michael looked up at the sound, matching shit-eating grins plastered to their faces. Luke was stuck between them, the older lads' fingers tickling his sides and neck. Head thrown back, silently laughing, the blonde was hunched over in an attempt to escape the older teens' clutches. Looking to Ashton for refuge, the blue eyed boy's face fell as he saw Ashton's mischievous grin. Uh oh.

The drummer made his way to Luke's bed, throwing himself into the fray. His infectious giggling soon filled the room; Calum and Mikey only howled louder.  
"Surrender Lukey-Bear, surrender!"  
Luke vehemently shook his head, turning over and twisting his body away from them - to no avail. The move only prompted the others to divide and conquer: Ashton poked and prodded at the youngest's ribs; Mikey tackled Luke's bare feet, leaving Calum with the backs of the lad's knees.  
"Do you give in?" Mikey asked, catching a flailing ankle before it hit him in the face.  
A nod of acquiescence and the tickle war was over.

"I'm bored."  
"Mikey, we have GT in about 10 minutes, that'll put you to sleep nicely." Calum laughed.  
"Oh yeah, Ty told me that Clara's planned some group activities for us to do."  
"Lee said the same. Apparently she's gonna try and make us spread from our 'comfort groups'... Like that'll work." Ashton snorted at the end, snatching up Luke's hand and slowly pulling him towards the door.

An hour and half later, the excruciating boredom finally came to an end. Naturally, and as predicted, Clara's attempts failed dramatically. Making their way back to their floor, Ash and Calum started roughhousing, shoving each other none too gently and laughing all the while.  
Choosing their own room this time, the two boys latched onto their band mates and tugged them with them, Calum gently knocking Luke over onto Ashton's bed.  
There was a slight crunch, the cracking of plastic echoing in the sudden silence of the bedroom. Sitting up and flying from his seat, Luke turned and found the source of the noises. Ashton's glasses.

Rapid, wheezy breaths escaped him as the panic built in his chest. He looked down at the snapped plastic frames, the left lens cracked through from the edge to the centre. Luke knew it was bad, it wouldn't be easy to fix, those glasses were the only pair Ashton had. The panic built higher and he fell to his side on the bed, one hand gripping the front of his shirt, the other tugging at his hair.  
Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, Ash looked over and what he saw snapped something inside of him.  
In an instant, he was by Luke's side, hands smoothing over the blonde's sides and gently latching onto the younger lad's curled fists. He pulled them to rest in his lap, sitting down on the bed.  
"Lukey-Bear? What's wrong? What's the matter?" he questioned softly, looking up in despair and meeting the twin concerned gazes of Mikey and Calum.  
A shaky hand stretched behind them, Luke bringing back the broken pair of glasses.  
"Shit, that's my fault." Calum confessed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "I pushed Luke onto your bed and he must've landed on your glasses."  
At Michael's laughter, Ashton rolled his eyes good-naturedly before turning back to Luke.  
"Lukey, it's okay. I was the idiot who didn't put them away properly, and Calum is the moron who pushed you over."  
"Hey!" the 'moron' protested jokingly.  
The eldest pulled Luke into a hugging, squeezing him gently and resting his cheek atop the blonde locks, murmuring, "Don't worry about it. We'll tell Rian and he'll sort me out a new pair. Do you wanna come help me pick some?"  
His head bobbed up and down as Luke nodded, and the drummer let a chuckle escape him.

Rian's reaction surprised the two teens once they'd told him what had happened.  
They stood side by side, hands interlinked to prevent Luke from having another 'freak out'. The doctor looked at them, then down to Ashton's outstretched arm, fingers holding onto the cracked frames carefully. Rian looked back to their faces, taking in the slightly panicked expression on Luke's, and the nonchalance plastered to Ash's features.  
"Jack and Alex owe Zack some money," he laughed, confusing both lads, so he elaborated, "Jack, Alex and Zack - how they roped him into it still puzzles me - but anyways, they made a bet on how long it'd take you to break your glasses and who would break them. Considering how much you boys, sans Luke, roughhouse, we thought it'd be fun. Jack was certain it would be a combination of you and Michael, but Alex said it'd be you, Ash. Zack had faith and pinned it on Calum."  
The two lads stared in shock, before the older of the two burst into giggles, handing Rian the broken glasses completely so he could hold onto his side with one hand.  
Luke grinned at Ash's reaction, reassured that nobody was in trouble. As Ashton's laughter subsided, the atmosphere turned a little more serious.  
"We do need to sort you out a new pair though, don't we? So tomorrow, we'll go out and you can get yourself a new pair. They know your prescription, we'll just have to wait a while so they can order them in and fit them."  
"Can Luke come with?"  
"I don't see why not."

Choosing Ashton's new glasses the next day took longer than strictly necessary (apparently Ashton just _had_ to see what Luke looked like in every pair of frames the eldest himself was considering) but both boys were happy with the final decision.  
A week later saw Ashton fitted with his new glasses, the frames a much sturdier plastic this time. The sleek black arms hugged his head snuggly, the bends hooked over his ears securely.  
Michael and Calum commented on how they looked no different to his previous pair, and Ashton just laughed, pulling Luke into a side hug and ruffling the blonde hair whilst joking, "Yeah well I didn't want to get completely new ones, just in case Calum was tempted to break those too."  
"Hey!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I wear glasses, I personally took the liberty of giving Ashton mine


	15. Sort of Malum: Calum? Can We Cuddle?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this Prompt #3 which was:  
> "3. Can you do one where Michael is having a bad separation anxiety day, and Luke is off unit for his other issues and Ashton was taken away earlier to go break routine safely, so he is distancing himself from Calum cuz he doesn't want to be too clingy and have the boy leave but he really just wants some lovin and reassurance. Eventually Calum corners him and makes it better. Or something I ill. I dunno if that was too specific  
> halfhuman2214"
> 
> Also decided this works for:  
> "19. Could there possibly be Malum it doesn't matter what happens just Malum  
> ~ Tumblr anon"
> 
> I'm sorry if this isn't exactly what you wanted, and I'm sorry for the shitty ending. But I hope you like it anyways.

The day hadn't been going well for Michael. First, Luke had been taken off unit, the necessity of his monthly check in for his depression and dormant eating disorder falling on the same day Ashton was taken to one of the adult floors to cover how to break routine safely. Calum was currently missing, some form of 'sleep therapy' session taking him away. That left Michael all alone. Not good.

It'd been three hours since he'd last seen any of his boys, and it was making him anxious. _What if they're hurt? Or lost? Or not coming back?_ a voice in his head piped up, the sneer almost visible. Mikey shook his head, knowing he was being silly. Of course his boys would be coming back, they were just busy getting help with their conditions.  
He made his way into the music room, picking out his favourite guitar and sitting on the floor by 'Cajon Tower', leaning against the wall. Strumming absently, the loneliness had started to seep in as he realised that it had crossed over into four hours without him noticing. The anxiety had started coming back with a vengeance, the need to see his friends now overwhelming him.

Calum made his way down the corridor, whistling a cheery tune as he did. He quickly ducked into his room, kicking his shoes off, before going to look for Michael. He checked the games room and the other duo's room, finding both void of his older friend, before stopping at the music room. He poked his head in, and the sight made him sad.  
Mikey had curled up on the large of the two sofa, pressing himself into the corner. Calum frowned, stepping into the room completely.  
After picking up the discarded guitar, he trotted over to the settee, and took a seat by Michael's head.

Bleary eyes blinked open slowly, Mikey's sleep addled brain refusing to wake up. He heard the sound of a guitar, a soft voice accompanying it.  
 _ **Wake up Michael, no more sleeping. The sky is clear and the birds are cheeping. It's almost lunch, isn't that great? I'm bored as fuck, can you please be awake?**_  
He snorted a laugh at the silly lyrics, Calum grinning at the noise. Michael sat up, rubbing his eyes with balled up fists.  
"Cal?"  
"The one and only, mate." the tanned lad winked, despite knowing the guitarist couldn't see it.  
"The others?"  
"Ash should be back in about an hour and a half, and Lukey... Who knows, maybe before Ash, maybe after."  
Michael nodded, sitting up straight and running a hand through his crazy hair. He shot a sideways look at Calum, smirking a little as he asked, "So that song, huh?"  
The dark eyed teen barked a laugh, giggling as he replied, "Yeah, I call it 'Michael's Wake Up Song'. It's pretty rad, isn't it?"  
The older lad nodded, his residual anxiety reappearing as he asked, "Hey Cal? Could we, maybe, I dunno, maybe it's only a Luke thing, but could we cuddle?"  
"Of course bro, anytime you like."

That was how Ashton found the two over an hour later, Michael pressed into Calum's side, legs thrown over the bassist's lap, head pillowed on his shoulder. Calum had the guitar in his lap still, fingers strumming 'their' song subconsciously.  
Seeing the drummer enter the room, Michael's face lit up and he waved, sharing a look with Calum before they both started to sing what they'd called 'Here Comes Ashton'.  
 _ **Here comes Ashton, here comes Ashton, he's the oldest of our crew. Here comes Ashton, here comes Ashton, he acts like our dad too. Here comes Ashton, here comes Ashton, why does he act so old? Here comes Ashton, here comes Ashton, at least he's not going bald.**_  
"Really? That's what you two have been doing?" Ash laughed, sitting down on Michael's other side, plastering his cheek between the younger teen's shoulder blades.  
"Yep."  
"We made a song for Luke as well, and there's one for Mikey and me each too." Calum grinned, plucking at the guitar strings.  
"Luke should be back soon actually, I bumped into Zack on my way here."

The door opened, revealing Luke with a tired smile on his face. He strolled over to the sofa, flopping down beside Calum, instantly resting his head on the tanned boy's thigh. Long fingers combed through the golden locks gently, Michael taking the guitar into his own lap.  
Michael took Luke's contented sigh as a cue.  
 _ **We love Lukey, he's so great, and he's tall, like 10 foot eight. He's nice and funny, cuddly like a bunny, he is our best friend. A gentle giant, sweet and cute, it's undeniable that we love Luke.**_  
The song's focus grinned up at them all, turning onto his side and pressing his face into Calum's stomach. He fell asleep shockingly quickly, the soothing feeling of the bassist's hands rhythmically moving through his hair lulling him to sleep.  
Noting the tiredness masking Michael's face, Ashton did the same, slowly sending the guitarist drifting off. He shared a look with Calum, both of them settling down and cuddling in, choosing to just sit in a comfortable silence while the others slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna apologise for those stupid stupid made up songs. I'm an idiot and I'm not funny. I regret nothing though


	16. Luke Centric: Lukey, What Happened?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is for Prompt #26 which was:
> 
> "26. Could you maybe do one where Luke gets hurt somehow, and he doesn't tell the boys until it gets really bad, and then they find out, they get all overprotective and stuff?  
> Tumblr anon
> 
> I'm sorry if this isn't exactly what you wanted, but I was quite happy with how this one played out. I hope you like it anyways.

He couldn't tell them, they'd just laugh. Or they'd worry and then they'd get doctors involved, and it'd just get messy and annoying. It wasn't a big deal. All he'd done was fall down the stairs. Yeah, his right arm and the entirety of his ribcage hurt - and he's 99% certain he'd cracked his head on the edge of a step - but Luke was fine.  
Wasn't he?.

_He'd been heading back to the music room, arms laden with snacks and water bottles for the other boys, a nutrition smoothie Alex had designed for him to have as a substitute to snacks to make him feel more comfortable with consuming calories for himself._  
 _Turning to use the stairs, the lift being temporarily out of order, he mistimed his steps and his feet knocked together, sending him tumbling down the concrete staircase. Staring at the ceiling in a daze, Luke turned over, sighing in relief that he was actually conscious. He looked further round - ignoring the flash of pain in his neck and skull with the movement - spotting the bottles a few feet away, thankfully unharmed. He did **not** want to clean up more than necessary._  
 _He shifted onto his elbows, gasping in pain and almost dropping back to the floor at the sharp feeling in his torso. Slowly, Luke raised himself to a siting position, heaving in a shuddering breath as it felt like he'd been stabbed in the ribs. Lifting up his shirt, he could see the slowly forming bruises, the discolouration stark against the paleness of his skin. Frowning, the blue eyed lad let his shirt drop back down, gingerly climbing to his feet, whimpering in pain. After collecting the snacks, he climbed back up the flight of stairs he'd just fallen down, clinging to the handrail all the while._

It'd been three days since Luke had fallen down the stairs, and the rest of the boys were still none the wiser. Having made multiple conscious efforts to hide his wincing during play fights and overly enthusiastic hugs, the blonde was finding it harder and harder to hide his injuries. His arm felt a bit better, and breathing didn't hurt as much as before, but he'd had a constant headache ever since it had happened.  
"Lukey!" Calum grinned. He bounded over from the elevator and swept the blue eyed boy up into a near bone crushing hug, the dark haired teen himself coming back from a therapy session.  
The younger lad couldn't help but cry out.  
Pulling back immediately, concern cascaded across Calum's face, and he questioned, "Lukey? What's wrong?"  
When Luke didn't answer, only lifted his hands to cradle his head, Calum started to panic, looking around and hoping to catch a glimpse of the two older boys. As it so happened, luck was on his side and both Ash and Mikey exited Ashton and his own room. He frantically waved a hand at them, hoping to god they'd come and help him.  
"Penguin? Cal, what's wrong with him?" Michael asked, urgency filling his movements as he sped over to the duo.  
"I dunno man, I just gave him a hug and then he cried out in pain and now he won't show me what hurts and I'm sorry but _help_!"  
By then, Ashton had made his way over, settling a calming hand on Calum's shoulder to relax him a little.  
"Mikey, go get Alex. Calum, come with me, let's get Luke to his bed."  
With that said, the group split, Michael rushing to the elevator to head to the floor below, the remaining trio heading to Luke and Michael's room.

As the doctor left the room, the three lads turned glares on the youngest. Luke shrunk back against his pillows, arm now in a sling and his ribs wrapped up. Alex had strapped an ice pack to the back of Luke's head, giving him a stern warning to leave it there for another half an hour.  
"How come you didn't tell us? It's been three days, Luke, _three. Days._ " Ashton asked (see interrogated), hands on his hips.  
"You fell down half a flight of stairs, and told no one. Penguin, why?" Mikey pressed, taking a seat on the bed at the blonde's feet.  
Luke shrugged, stuttering out an answer, "I d-didn't-t wanna w-worry y-you guys wi-i-ith it. It w-was s-silly of-f me t-to fall down any-y-ways-s. I'm s-s-sorry."  
At that statement, the older teens' faces softened, smile replacing the glares as they all piled onto the bed, gently squishing Luke in.  
"Not that there should be, but next time you get hurt, tell at least one of us, yeah?" Calum asked, pressing a kiss to the top of Luke's head when the blue eyed lad nodded.


	17. Mashton Centric: The Return of the Tickle Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is prompt #16, which was:
> 
> 16\. do you think you could do the tickle fight prompt but more Ashton centric, or maybe Michael centric? I dunno, I think it'd be cute!  
>  musicaddict  
>  seconded by marissa
> 
> I'm not too sure how well I stuck to the prompt, but it has Ashton and Michael both tickled to hell and back, so I hope you enjoy it.

Calum grinned, looking down at a sleeping Luke, curled up on his side, head pillowed on the bassist's thigh. He smoothed a hand over the blonde head, carding his fingers through the locks of hair, gently ruffling it. He looked up, seeing Michael doing the same to an awake, albeit drowsy, Ashton.

The boys had been having a lazy day, not one of them particularly motivated to do anything other than lay around. The four, well three if you discount Luke, were watching a movie, the sounds of gunfire and screeching tyres oddly lulling. The youngest lad had fallen asleep about 20 minutes in, Michael reporting he hadn't had a good night sleep wise. Ash was halfway to joining the blonde, his eyes starting to slip shut around two thirds of the way through. Calum exchanged a warm smile with Mikey, the older teen returning the look, then looked fondly at Luke. Calum's eyes dropped to Ashton's now dozing form, a similar fond glimmer entering his dark eyes.

As the movie drew to an end, one final last explosion seemed to expand into the room, the cacophonous sound resonating in the quiet. Ashton jerked awake, his light sleep disturbed, hazel eyes shooting open, hand flying to clutch his chest over his heart. On the other hand, Luke sat bolt upright, scaring the crap out of Calum at the rapid movement. Wide, terrified blue eyes skittered around the room, taking in the scene, the sound of his erratic breaths calming a little as he realised where he was.  
"Jesus fuck!" Ash snapped, glaring at the now rolling credits on the large TV screen.  
"Are you alright, Lukey?" Calum asked, large hands rubbing soothing circles between the blue eyed teen's shoulder blades.  
Receiving a shake of the head, Calum frowned and hugged the blonde closer to him.  
Spotting the movement, Michael sent a concerned look toward the younger boys, eyes asking a silent question. The dark haired lad shook his head, gesturing with it to the door, a reply in itself. Ashton had noticed the whole exchange, offering a comforting smile to Luke.  
Calum stood, slowly lifting Luke with him. The two made their way from the room, headed to Luke and Michael's bedroom for cuddles and a better nap.

"You alright now, Ash?" Mikey asked, looking down at the older boy.  
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just worried about Lukey-Bear. What could have set loud noises as a trigger for a reaction like that?"  
Michael shrugged in answer, staring at the empty doorway for moment before looking back to Ashton. Not liking the sad pout adorning the drummer's face, he smirked a little and slid a hand down to Ash's neck, tickling lightly.  
The eldest yelped, actually _yelped_ , and flipped over fast enough to nearly knock Michael out.

The guitarist laughed, grinning slightly evilly as he moved his hands to Ashton's ribs, poking and prodding until the older lad was a giggling, squealing mess.  
"Mikey stop! Please!" the drummer laughed, batting at the younger teen's hands.  
"Make me."  
A smirk crossed the curly haired boy's face, flipping over quickly enough to catch Michael off guard. He pinned him to sofa, straddling his waist and attacking his neck, fingers moving too fast to follow. Howling laughter filled the room, the occasional squeal cried out as well, as the two lads tickled each other into submission until the retaliation was too strong to ignore.  
Calum stood in the doorway, Ashton's phone clutched in his hands as he recorded the 'fight', trying his hardest to prevent the device from shaking the footage too much. He'd left Luke sleeping after he'd heard the first squeal leave the TV room. Passing by it, he'd caught a glimpse of what was happening then ran to his and Ashton's room. He had snatched up the first phone he saw, sprinting back in time to capture Ashton returning Michael's advances.  
Taking a breather for a moment, the eldest looked up, spotting Calum. He began to offer a greeting before he caught sight of the phone in the bassist's hands. He let out a rather I dignified squawk, scrambling off the sofa to charge at Calum. The tanned lad turned and ran, cackling down the corridors that he was gonna show Luke. Ash chased after him, muttering out curses while Michael just sat in place. He grinned to himself, thankful that it spur of the moment plan had managed to cheer Ashton up, as well as himself. Listening to the fake angry yells echoing down the hallway, he let out a laugh.


	18. Luke Centric: Mean Words Don't Mean Shit Compared To Your Brilliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late, but this is for prompt #10, which is:
> 
> 10\. "Would love to see one where Luke is attacked/bullied by another patient, perhaps someone from the floor below or even an adult, who found their way to the top floor. Pretty much the person corners him, says some mean things and then physically hurts him and Luke ends up having an anxiety attack and his stutter comes back really bad. Then, the boys either save him, or find him afterwards and protect him, trying to calm him down and reassure him those mean words weren't true :) Please and thank you!"  
> ~ starstruk97
> 
> I'm sorry for the crappy ending, but I couldn't think of anything else. I hope you like it anyways

They'd seen Luke on their floor, and they weren't sure why, considering his usual guard dogs, but for once Luke was alone. Chloe and Cameron looked back at Nick, the younger boy shaking his head. The bipolar lad was probably the most sympathetic to the youngest member of the youth sector out of their group of four; Chloe and Cameron were easily the worst.  
The two 20 year old's stepped out of Nick's room, carefully following the blue eyed teen down the corridor, smirking when he took a wrong turn that lead to a dead end. They blocked the alcove off, standing shoulder to shoulder, Chloe acting casually by checking her nails.  
Luke turned, a minute frown on his face, before his eyes widened and he gasped.

"Hey there, Luke." Cameron sneered, a wicked look plastered across his features as he grinned sinisterly at the younger male.  
Luke didn't dignify his comment with a reply, couldn't've even if he'd wanted to.  
"What's up, Luke-baby?" Chloe mocked, a faux empathetic pout on her lips. "Cat got your tongue?"  
A snicker echoed in the small space, the half chuckle rebounding off the walls and hitting Luke twice as hard. He looked down, choosing that as his safest option. Cameron didn't appreciate it.  
"She asked you a question, dipshit." the older lad pushed at Luke's shoulder roughly, the blonde needing to take a step back to stay balanced.  
"It's fine, Cam, the fucker is too stupid to even talk, let alone answer a simple question." she sniped, smirking as Luke flinched when she said the word 'stupid'. "Awww, what's the matter, Luke? Don't like being called stupid?"  
Luke took a step back once more, slowly backing himself into the wall behind him. Cameron took a step forward, cracking his knuckles and his neck, smiling unnervingly.  
"Well I hate to break it to you, Luke, but you are stupid. How can you be 17 and mute? Better yet, how can you have been here for _four_ years, is it? And still have made no progress at all? I mean, Ashton is on his way out soon, his 'routine' gets broken all the time and he's fine with it. That new Calum kid, I don't think he even needs to be here, do you?"  
Cameron shook his head.  
"And Michael, well," she smirked sadistically, tilting her head in what would be a sweet way if it were anyone else, "Michael could ditch you at the drop of a hat. I mean, after all, who wants - let alone needs - a worthless, pathetic, needy, little shit like you?"  
With each word that fell from her mouth, Luke flinched, curling in on himself more and more. Cameron was right in front on him by that point, glaring at him, fists clenched tightly.  
Chloe turned around, keeping an eye out for anyone who could be looking for Luke.

This was bad, really really bad. Luke's breathing was stuttering, erratic huffs leaving slightly parted lips as he cowered in the corner, back pressed to the crease of the walls. Wide, terrified blue eyes were downcast, avoiding looking up at the owners of the voices. The voices that were taunting him with poisonous words, filling his head with doubts and confirming his fears. He couldn't stand it. His head ached, the feeling of a vice crushing it overcoming him. The same feeling centred in his chest, squeezing his heart and lungs to the point where sucking in a lungful of air was equal parts painful and impossible. Black spots danced in the forefront of his vision, a grey haze threatening to take over his view of the white tiled floor. Luke felt himself slipping, knees buckling, falling to land on the joints heavily. The sound of their impact against the linoleum was solid, and without a doubt he'd have bruises for at least the next week. _He couldn't stand it._

He didn't even see the punches coming. Blow after blow rained down, and Luke could've sworn he'd heard something crack. He curled over, folding himself into a ball and trying to protect his head from Cameron's fists. Chloe continued to spit venomous insults at him, the words actually cutting deeper than any laceration Cameron could inflict upon him. Just as he was about to lose hope, the combination of his panic and the beating he was suffering taking over, just as he was about to slip from consciousness, he heard the pounding footsteps coming down the corridor.

The sight Ashton, Michael and Calum turned the corner to see shook them to the core. The ARD unit's eldest scowled, his ire boiling over as he launched himself at the older lad still hitting _their_ Luke. Fists were flying, Ashton rapidly gaining the upper hand as his rage fuelled outburst simmered down to controlled movements. Michael and Calum stepped around the scuffle, quickly drawing Luke up between them and wrapping their arms around the blonde. Chloe had scattered, her loyalty to Cameron only going so far.  
They pulled Luke away from the fight, frowning as the youngest swayed and choked, coughing up a mouthful of his own blood onto his t-shirt and hands, the russet trails dribbling down his chin. Knowing Ashton could handle himself, and not get into too much trouble, the middle teens took Luke to the office at the end of the hall.

"Alex! Alex please, come on man!" Mikey called, banging on the door whilst helping Calum keep Luke upright.  
Not a second later, the door opened and Alex gasped at what he saw. He quickly ushered the boys into the room, aiding them in settling Luke on the examination bed.  
"Jesus Christ, boys, what the hell happened?" The doctor asked, instantly setting to work patching the blue eyed lad up.  
"We were on our floor, and Luke came to look for Zack, something about changing his therapy times? I don't know, but when he didn't come back for a while, we all got worried. When we came to look for him, we just turned a corner and saw Chloe saying some nasty shit, and Cameron was beating the crap out of Lukey." Calum reported, holding one of the singer's hand gingerly.  
"Where's Ash, then?"  
Mikey answered this time. "He's beating the crap out of Cam-"  
He was interrupted by the door opening, Ashton stepping through with a small smile and the offhanded comment, "It's all good now. It won't happen again."

An hour later saw the four boys cuddling in the TV room, Luke thoroughly cushioned in the middle of the group. The past half an hour had been spent reassuring the blonde that everything the older patients had said was utter bullshit, and that they had no chance of repeating the incident.  
"Mean words don't mean shit compared to your brilliance, Penguin, just remember that, yeah?" Michael whispered into the blonde locks beneath his chin as he pressed a kiss to the crown of Luke's head.


	19. Christmas #1 ~ A Real Family Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is hands down the longest prompt I've ever filled. I honestly didn't mean for it to get this long, holy fuck. I hope the prompter likes it though.
> 
> For the prompt:  
> "1. Luke is sad around Christmas time because he's been in the hospital so long and never had any visitors so the boys and doctors make it a real family Christmas because they're brothers and hate seeing him sad?? idk just a suggestion"  
> ~ Tumblr anon

Luke sat in the dining hall, the other boys chattering happily about Christmas. Which was tomorrow. He stared longingly at the eight foot tall evergreen that dominated a large portion of the room. Streams of tinsel wound their way around the tree, multicoloured LED lights weaved into the branches, glittery baubles hanging delicately from the ends. Even though the damn thing looked the same every year, the blonde couldn't help but be enraptured by the beauty of it all. The garlands hung between picture frames, the lights dotted around, the empty cardboard boxes wrapped to look like presents hunkered under the lower boughs of the tree; it all still amazed him. Christmas had never really been important to him before, hadn't been his whole life until Mikey had come into it. The older boy showed him the joy in it, showed him how much fun it was, cared enough to show him. Now, now he had three older brothers, real ones in all ways but blood, to share the occasion with and he hoped that that year would be the best yet.

Ashton looked to his left, seeing the haze over Luke's eyes as the youngest gazed over at the huge Christmas tree. He smiled a little and looked back to Michael and Calum, gesturing his head at Luke. The two other boys looked at the blue eyed lad and smiled softly.  
Snapping out of his stupor, Luke sensed eyes on him and turned back to the table, a blush flushing his ears a dark shade of pink.  
"You alright there, Lukey?" Calum asked gently, tilting his head a little with a small grin.  
Luke nodded in response, poking Calum in the shin with his socked toes.  
The bassist's grin widened a little, and he quickly reached down to grab Luke's foot, stroking a gentle finger down the sole before letting go. Luke repressed a squeal at the action and then pouted at Mikey and Ash as they laughed at the scene.  
Michael stood, stretching and relishing the feeling as his spine clicked a few times. He yawned once and tapped on the table.  
"I'm knackered. I say we go to bed, or Santa won't come."  
They all rolled their eyes at his lame attempt at a joke, although deep down Luke loved it. He'd never known about Santa when he was younger, so even the prospect of pretending to believe amused him to no end.

Reaching their floor, the boys exchanged "goodnight"s with each other before entering their rooms. While Luke got changed and ready for bed in the bathroom, Michael quickly darted into Calum and Ashton's room, ascertaining the plan was still a go. He nodded once, wished them sweet dreams then sprinted back to his and Luke's room. He'd just sat on his bed when the bathroom door opened and Luke emerged, hair fluffy and blue eyes sleepy. Michael smiled indulgently before excusing himself to use the bathroom.  
As soon as he heard the lock _click_ , Luke was rushing around, unearthing the presents he'd hidden under his bed. He counted quickly, frowning as he only counted six - where was number seven? Stretching his arm under quickly, his slender fingers wrapped around the last present, the paper making a crinkly sound which he winced at. A brief glance over his shoulder told him Michael was busy, if the muffled singing was anything to go by. He rose to his feet, arms laden with the gifts. He turned and placed them all in the top drawer of his nightstand, smiling a little as he climbed into bed. Listening to Michael finish in the bathroom then slowly shuffle over his bed, Luke shut his eyes and pulled his covers closer.  
 _Tomorrow should be great._

The next morning, Luke awoke to an overexcited Michael and Ashton jumping on his bed, the two older teens yelling that he should wake up because Christmas. And waking up Calum. Luke beamed up at them, even as he rubbed sleepy eyes with sleepier fists. Ash cooed, unable to help it, and wrapped Luke in his arms with a muttered, "Merry Christmas, Lukey-Bear." He felt the grin pressed against his chest and pulled back, allowing Luke a little respite. Michael was bouncing by the end of the bed, the energy surging through his body making him jittery.  
"Come on, let's go wake up Calum, come on, come on."  
A startled laugh escaped Luke, even though the guitarist was like that every single year. He slipped off his bed, stumbling a little due to not being fully awake, but dutifully trotted after Michael and Ashton as they left to awaken Calum. The tanned lad did _not_ appreciate his wake up call.  
After breakfast, the residents of the hospital were allowed visitors, what with Christmas being a familial occasion. The boys were lined up in the foyer area of Floor 5, excitedly awaiting the arrival of their guests.

Ashton's grandparents were the first to arrive, throwing open their arms and ensconcing the drummer in a warm hug. His grandmother pressed multiple kisses to Ash's cheeks, making exaggerated 'mwah' sounds as she did, much to the curly haired teen's embarrassment. After receiving ruffled hair from his grandfather, Ashton turned back to face his friends, grinning as they laughed at him. Ashton's grandmother turned to her husband, asking, "Did you remember the presents, dear?"  
Ash's grandfather's eyes widened, and he shook his head, even as his wife tutted. "Must've left them in the car, love. Not a worry, I'll pop down and get them then be straight back." With that, he left, waving at the boys before getting in the elevator.  
"I don't know why I married him." She muttered, winking as the teens laughed at her. "Now, where's my hug from Luke? And where's my hug from Michael?"  
The two named lads stepped forward, taking it in turns to wrap their arms around the elderly woman, pressing a kiss to her cheek too.  
She grinned, taking a step back and looking at Calum. "And you too, Calum, Ashton's told me all about you. Come give me a hug."  
The bassist did as directed, giving the grandmother a hug and grinning. "It's nice to meet you ma'am."  
"Pssh, I may be a grandma, but I'm not that old. Please, call me Nana."  
Ashton laughed at the look on Calum's face, hearing Michael laugh too. Stepping away from Nana's arms, Calum smiled a little and looked towards the elevators, spotting Ash's grandfather returning with a bag in each hand, brightly coloured wrapping paper visible through the see through plastic.  
"I hope you don't mind, but we brought you boys some gifts."  
"Pops, why would we mind? Thank you so much." Ashton gave his grandparents another hug, drawing the younger lads into the embrace a moment later as they all muttered their own gratitudes.

The next to arrive was Calum's family, his parents and his sister exiting the lift with grins plastered to their cheeks and arms laden with presents, each pair of gifts in a different colour of wrapping paper. As soon as he saw them coming, Calum shot away from the group, all but sprinting towards his family. He flung himself at his parents, his sister coming behind him in the hug. "Mum, dad, Mali! You all made it!" he cheered, squeezing them all tightly.  
"Well yeah, we weren't gonna leave my lil bro on his own for Christmas. Now where are these new friends of yours? We brought presents." Mali replied, ruffling her little brother's hair and punching him in the shoulder lightly and jokingly.  
"Um, we're over here." Ashton raised a hand, waving slightly as the Hood family looked over at the sound of his voice.  
Calum's mum beamed, moving away from her son in favour of talking to his new friends. "Let me see, let me see. Curly hair, dimples, you must be Ashton. Faded green hair, you must be Michael? And that leaves Luke, who to quote Calum is 'super super tall, blonde and adorable'."  
Each boy nodded as she identified them, Luke blushing a little at how Calum had described him. Joy moved forward, giving each lad a hug and a hair tussle.  
"Oh!" Calum suddenly remembered, gesturing between the adults and teenagers, "Guys, these are my parents, Joy and David, and my sister Mali. And over there are Ashton's grandparents."  
The two pairs of adults moved closer to one another, exchanging handshakes and greetings before turning back to the boys.  
"Michael dear, are your grandparents coming this year?" Nana asked, tilting her head.  
Michael shook his head a little sadly, replying, "No, Nana, they couldn't come up this year. Some emergency with my cousins they had to help out with. They said that the doctors should have the presents they sent though."  
The woman nodded, clapping her hands and claiming, "That's everyone then, so shall we go to you floor boys?"  
Receiving nods all around, Ashton and Michael led the way, Mali talking to Calum, and Nana and Pops goading Luke into quiet conversation, knowing his polite nature meant he couldn't resist indulging them.

After spending several hours in the TV and games room of Floor 6, exchanging gifts, stories and memories, lunch was called and the nine of them made their way to the canteen for a full Christmas dinner. Once everyone was stuffed, it was almost the end of visiting hours, so the boys decided to show their families a surprise performance.  
Gathering everyone in the music room, Nana and Pops taking a seat on the smaller half of the sofa, Calum's parents and Mali taking up the other half. Confused mutterings filled the air as the two families watched the boys move around the room, taking various instruments and forming a makeshift stage area.

Ashton sat on his cajon, tapping his fingers as he waited for the other to be ready. Calum plucked at the bass strings, quickly warming up his fingers; glancing over, he saw Luke and Mikey doing the same.  
As the older members of the group quieted to silence, Michael started playing, the chords replacing the finally settled silence. Calum and Ashton joined in at their cues, Luke completing the backing with his own guitar.  
The relatives looked impressed and happy, enjoying the song. Their mouths dropped open in shock when the boys followed up the music with an original song.  
"My ship went down, in a sea of sound. When I woke up alone, I had everything. A handful of moments, I wish I could change. And a tongue like a nightmare, that cut like a blade... In a city of fools, I was careful and cool. But they tore me apart like a hurricane. A handful of moments, I wish I could change, but I was carried away..." Luke sang, Nana and Pops beaming proudly at the youngest, Calum's family grinning at the lad's beautiful voice.  
Calum took over his chorus - the thing that started it all - and his family couldn't have looked more proud of him. "Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything. Therapy. You were never a friend to me, and you can take back your misery..."

After the teens had finished the song, they received a standing ovation and a round of hugs, before they made their way back to Floor 5 to bid their goodbyes.  
Thanking each visitor for their gifts, the lads slowly retreated to their floor once everyone had left and it was again only them. They sat in Luke and Michael's room, fawning over their new gifts.  
A harsh knock had their heads shooting up, Zack, Jack and Alex entering calming their nerves a little.  
"We're just here to drop off the presents from Mikey's grandparents." Alex quickly informed them, smiling at Luke hugging his new stuffed penguin.  
Said blonde boy quickly leapt from his bed, rummaging in his draw and pulling out the seven carefully wrapped gifts. He placed them on his bed gently, picking out the four he wanted and walking over to Zack. Gesturing briefly, the blonde urged the therapist to hold out his arms so he could place them in them. Zack complied, quickly accumulating the gifts and looking at Luke curiously.  
"Wait a minute," Jack started, "are these for us four?"  
At Luke's nod, the activities coordinator couldn't help but coo and he pulled Luke in for a brief but warm embrace, "Thanks dude, that's sweet of you. I'll make sure Rian gets his."  
The other men nodded in agreement before Alex placed the bag from Mikey's grandparents on said boy's bed then took their leave.

Reaching into the bag, Ashton distributed the presents to their assigned new owner's, looking up as a second gift made its way into his own lap.  
"Lukey, did you get us all something?"  
Luke nodded once more, blushing slightly at the coos he received. They all squished him into a hug. His thoughtfulness far outweighed the opening of the presents, and the boys were content to wait a lot longer if it just meant being together for the holidays.  
 _Yeah_ , Luke thought to himself, _today is great_.


	20. Christmas #2 ~ Secret Santa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, another really fricking long one. Maybe it's just cuz it's Christmas. Either way, I hope you please enjoy this chapter
> 
> For the prompt:  
> "2. secret santa has been set up between the boys so the doctors let them go shopping (with escort from the docs obv) and they get the presents for each other?? idk hope these give you some ideas for Christmas :-)  
> ~ Tumblr anon"

It was four days before Christmas Day. The boys were excited. Their two physicians, their therapist and their activities coordinator were currently escorting them around the shopping centre about a mile and a half from the hospital.  
Luke was paired with Alex, Ashton with Rian, Calum with Zack and Michael with Jack. Probably not the smartest move, but they were trying to work with it.

The day before, the doctors had decided that they'd set up a Secret Santa within the Youth Sector, as a way for the teens to have a nice Christmas, as well as a chance to stretch their legs outside of the hospital boundaries. Floor 5 had gone out the day before, an extra two nurses accompanying them.  
The boys hadn't wanted to be part of that, the doctors knowing of the minor feud between the four and another four on the floor below. So they'd decided on a private Secret Santa, each boy picking another one from an elf hat. Luke got Ashton, Ashton got Michael, Michael got Calum, leaving Calum to buy for Luke.  
Despite being given a budget, the doctors knew they'd end up going over, hence they'd had the boys earn how much extra they were allowed to spend. Doing odd jobs, helping the canteen staff, Calum even became Rian's personal assistant for a few hours, bringing him coffee and snacks whenever he asked.

Trawling round the shops seemed fun at first, until the lads started getting distracted. Jack lost Michael for a full 10 minutes, and Rian was convinced he was 30 seconds away from picking up the baby reins he'd seen hanging up a few feet away and testing them out on Ashton. Zack and Calum were already done, although how Calum planned on hiding Luke's present for an entire week he did not know - the bloody thing was about half the height of the lad who would receive it - and were waiting outside the shop on a bench. The only reason Alex and Luke weren't struggling was that Luke had pulled the doctor after him to the section he knew he'd find Ashton's present, picked it up and then promptly pulled Alex after him once more to pick up another four of the same product. After he'd done, Luke's energy started waning, and immediately Alex knew Luke had skipped at least lunch - if not breakfast too - and knew from both Calum and Michael that the blonde had had a night terror. So he'd sighed, scooped up the blue eyed lad in a piggy back and started carrying him around the rest of the store in the hopes to lull him to sleep. _The things I do for these boys_ , he'd thought, smiling despite himself.  
Meeting up with Zack and Calum, Alex had set down a sleepy Luke next to the dark haired teen, and the blonde had happily curled into Calum's hold, head resting on a tanned shoulder.

Inside the shop, it was a different story. Rian almost screamed when Ashton wandered off for the third time in as many minutes.  
"Ashton! For crying out loud, stop walking off. I am responsible for you. So can we please hurry up? Alex just texted me saying him and Zack have been finished for quite a while now."  
The drummer had the decency to look abashed for his behaviour and quietly replied, "I'm sorry Rian, I am. I just... I don't know what to get."  
"Why didn't you ask for help earlier? We could've been finished ages ago. Come with me, I think I can find something Mikey will like."  
Trotting along after his primary doctor, sort of like a lost puppy, Ashton questioned, "You think?"  
Smirking over his shoulder, Rian replied, "I know. Now come on, I wanna beat Jack."

Michael was lost. Again. He'd lost Michael again. Zack and Rian were gonna kill him. And maybe Alex would too. Shit.  
Jack wasn't panicking, he wasn't. He was just slowly getting more and more fretful the longer he couldn't find Michael. He looked up, using his height to his advantage as he looked over the small crowd of people lining the aisle. Tempted to yell the teenager's name, he breathed a sigh of relief as the faded green stood out in contrast to the rest of the customers in the shop. Using his long legs, Jack was stood by the guitarist in no time at all. He quickly, and embarrassingly, showed his joy at finding him.  
"Oh my little Mikey, I was so so worried about you!" Jack cooed loudly, drawing shoppers' attentions and inwardly smirking at the blush on Michael's cheeks as he pressed him against his chest, "Don't you ever run off like that again. You scared me half to death."  
Michael managed to wriggle free, fluffing up his hair where the activities coordinator had flattened it. He glared up at Jack, mouth downturning more as giggles escaped tightly closed lips.  
"Stop walking off, and I won't have to do that again. And would you hurry the hell up? I got a text from Zack half an hour ago saying him and Cal are done, and I got one from 'Lex 20 minutes ago. That one said that him and Luke are also done and for us to, quote: 'Hurry the fuck up, I had to piggy back Luke for the rest of our shop, and he has now fallen asleep against Calum. I wanna leave too, and Zack is bored. Let's go.'"  
Michael scowled at Jack's words, slight peeved that him and his shopping partner hadn't won the race to leave the shop first, but mostly annoyed that he still hadn't found something for Calum yet. He grabbed Jack's wrist, pulling the lanky male along behind him to the sports section.

Finally, after another 10 minutes, both Rian and Ashton, and Jack and Michael exited the shop together; the adults held the bags, nothing on their faces giving away who the gifts were for.  
"Are you guys finally done?" Alex asked impatiently, looking to a still snoozing Luke and a dozy looking Calum.  
"Yeah, Calum and I finished nearly an hour ago." Zack added.  
"Well hark at you pair." Rian snarked back a tad bitterly, mock glaring as Ashton snickered at his response.  
"Can we _please_ just go? Contrary to popular belief, I do actually have work to do." Jack whined, swinging his arms a little petulantly.  
Calum speaks up, finally shifting and wrapping arms around Luke to prevent him face planting the cast iron armrests of the bench, "Someone is gonna need to carry Lukey back, he's down for the count and doesn't seem to be waking up anytime soon."  
Everyone turned to stare at Ashton, but the eldest teen's eyes were locked on Zack.  
The well muscled therapist sighed, mumbling, "I refuse to take responsibility if this ever comes up as a safeguarding issue. I blame all of you."  
Nonetheless, he picked Luke up, setting the floppy teen on his hip as you would a sleepy toddler. The blonde's arms hung limply at his sides, the teen too tired to even hold on. The group made their way out of the shopping centre, moving through the crowds of people and ignoring the strange looks they received for a man carrying a six foot plus sleeping teenager like an infant. They reached the car park soon enough, and quickly got to the hospital issued minivan.

The drive back was uneventful, aside from the childish bickering exchanged between Calum and Ashton. Mikey had also fallen asleep, leaning his forehead against the window, his hand subconsciously linked with Luke's.

Ashton carried Luke back to their floor, the doctors having too much work to do now that shopping had taken longer than expected. They each carried their respective expedition partner's Secret Santa gift to Zack and Rian's main office, storing them under the spare desk in the corner.  
Deciding to take a breather now they were alone, they all sat down in the staff lounge - some form of beverage in their hands - and shared the tale of their shopping experience, or in some cases trauma.

"Luke knew exactly what he wanted. He dragged me straight over to the clothing section, spent two minutes look for the bandanas and then picked up five. He didn't think I'd notice, but four were the colours of the Ninja Turtles. And the other was black." Alex laughed, "After that, he'd started tiring a little before apparently giving up and slumping on his feet. I had to piggy back him to the checkout and back to where Zack and Cal were sitting."  
He sipped his coffee once he'd finished regaling them all with his story.  
"Calum and I had finished in the space of 10 minutes. We went straight to the stuffed toy section, Calum picked the biggest fucking penguin he could find, and I mean big. The thing's about three and a half feet tall. Straight to the checkout and sitting outside it was." Zack followed on, smirking at how Rian and Jack groaned at how easy he'd had it compared to them.  
"Lucky you, Michael took the piss. I ended up losing him for a grand total of 20 minutes. 20. Fucking. Minutes. I swear, I was gonna superglue his hand to mine so I couldn't lose him anymore. Eventually though, he picked out a Liverpool football shirt and we were done with it." Jack whined the whole way through the telling of his ordeal, taking a long gulp of his energy drink afterward.  
"Okay, mine wasn't that bad. But I was sorely tempted to stick a set of baby reins on Ashton the fifth time he wandered off looking for a present for Michael. I ended up having to help, he honestly couldn't think of something Michael didn't already have. We went to the music section and they had some of the older CDs, you know, the ones from a few years back? Well anyways, Ashton saw some Michael doesn't have, so that sorted that."  
A comfortable silence settled over the four men as they sat finishing their drinks. Suddenly, in unison, they all burst out laughing, Alex chuckling as he told them, "You realise we're gonna have to do this next year as well, right?"  
They just laughed harder.


	21. Christmas #3 ~ Another Lonely Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last of the Christmas prompts is finally up, I will be going back to my self made schedules based on most popular prompts after this. This was for the prompt:  
> "3. they have a day for visitors before / on christmas and the other boys get at least one visitor and they are all so happy and wrapped up in talking to their family / friend they forget that luke hasn't had anyone visit him during his time at the hospital and he's all alone having a bit of a breakdown. Once visitors have left they see luke crying and scratching at himself with a doctor trying to comfort him and realise he's been alone all day. Idk, I'd love to read that  
> ~ Tumblr anon"
> 
> I hope you enjoy it

He wasn't sure why, but Luke had expected that year to be different. He realised how stupid he was as he sat alone in the music room, guitar in his lap, fingers plucking at the strings idly. For some bizarre reason, the blonde had assumed that he wouldn't find himself in the same position he always did at Christmas; ha, yeah right. Perhaps it was because of Calum - the older lad's sunny optimism was infectious, making him smile even when he didn't want to. Or maybe it was Mikey, saying that this year his cousin couldn't make it. Or possibly even Ashton's excited comment that he was sure this year Luke would have family come see him.  
Oh how that positivity had only led to him wallowing in self pity as the rest of the hospital rejoiced in family reunions, and friends appearing out of nowhere.  
Luke still wasn't sure why he'd expected that year to be different.

It had started earlier in the week, the plans and arrangements falling together under Jack's surprisingly observant care and supervision. The activities coordinator had become so attuned to organising such an event that the lanky male was confident he could do it half asleep. So naturally, and shockingly, the whole thing had gone off without a hitch and the visitors on Christmas Eve had arrived as planned.

The boys had all been excited, well the three stood beside Luke had been near enough vibrating as they buzzed with anticipation. _Of course they would be_ , Luke had thought, only a margin of bitterness sitting next to the sorrow, _they've all got people coming to see them_. Michael had been particularly overjoyed, his cousin able to make it after all, so he'd get to see her and share stories, just like they'd done as kids.

As always, Ash's grandparents had turned up first, exchanging quick greetings and interrogating Calum a little before they'd whisked their grandson off between them, each with an arm linked through the drummer's.  
Calum's family had turned up soon after, gladly introducing themselves to Michael and Luke, learning a little about them before the tanned lad too had left with his family.  
Michael and Luke had stood together for another 20 minutes before parting ways, Mikey with his cousin ruffling his hair as he'd led her towards the allocated areas that visitors could access.  
Luke had stood there for a moment longer, staring longingly at the elevators, just wishing that he'd get a visitor that year. Once again he'd felt dismayed as the only people to leave the lift rushed over to Leoni, pulling the older girl into a tight hug. He'd sighed and entered the now empty elevator carriage, pushing the button for their floor. A lone tear had trickled down his cheek, falling from his chin to the cold floor, as yet again he'd been shoved aside and forgotten.

That was how Luke found himself sat alone, his only company the instrument laid upon his crossed legs. He found his fingers now playing honestly, a song forming under his ministrations and echoing out into the hallway through the open door. He found himself humming, Therapy entering his head first before he shook it vigorously.  
His own thoughts escaped slightly parted lips aloud in the form of a Blink 182 song, the softness of his voice contradicting the harsh reality of the words.  
"I never thought I'd die alone, I laughed the loudest who'd have known? I traced the cord back to the wall, no wonder it was never plugged in at all. I took my time, I hurried up, the choice was mine I didn't think enough. I'm too depressed to go on, you'll be sorry when I'm gone..."  
Tears sprung to his eyes, a deep sadness embedding itself in the baby blues. He pushed the guitar from his lap, clambering to his feet and stepping away from the room. Without noticing it, he realised his legs had carried him to his bed, and he sat down heavily.

Alex was worried because Zack was worried. When Zack was worried, then everyone should be worried. His dark eyes had tracked the younger man's movements, watching as he followed Luke's trip up to Floor 6 about 25 minutes after the teenager had disappeared. The doctor bit his lip, unsure if he should remain supervising the visits, or go check on his (admittedly favourite) charge. He decided upon the latter, sidestepping a guest and moving towards the elevator for ease of traveling. Upon reaching the ARD floor, Alex could hear quiet sniffling with stuttered breathing, accompanied by soft words and gentle soothing sounds. Following his ears, he stood in the doorway watching as Zack held one of Luke's hands to prevent it from scratching at already raw wrists.  
He could see the boy's free hand itching to scrape at his opposite wrist, and he made his way over to put a stop to it. Alex hated the fact that this wasn't the first time he and Zack had had to sit with Luke during visitor's day at Christmas. The poor lad was going another year with no guests, and his friends had abandoned him completely. _Another lonely Christmas for Luke_ he thought sadly.

Hours later, after all visitors had taken their leave, the remaining teens of the ARD unit made their return to their floor. A blossom of guilt slowly bloomed in the chests as they realised that Luke had been alone ever since they'd parted with their family members. Their hearts sunk to their stomachs as they remembered that Luke never had any visitors, and had never had any during his stay at Happy Days. Frowns marred their previously overjoyed expressions, and they each silently urged the lift to hurry.  
Stepping out of the elevator car, they were met with an eerily subdued atmosphere. They saw the light coming from Luke and Michael's room and chose to head there first. What they saw broke their hearts.

Luke's wrists were bandaged, his previous scratching had in fact managed to break the skin, the russet dots covering his arms and bed sheets an obvious clue. Both Zack and Alex were still sat beside him, the blonde crying silently as he communicated with his hands. The red, slightly puffy appearance of the stunning blue eyes was enough to let the guilt settle in their veins, their plummeted hearts pumping it round their entire bodies. Moving over to their youngest friend, Michael and Ashton had remorseful grimaces twisting their lips. Calum merely had shocked regret and repentance covering his features. All at once, they said the four words they needed to to make a start at fixing what they'd damaged yet again.

"We're so sorry, Luke."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that ending makes a change from how they normally end, eh? I'm hoping I surprised some of you? Idk, anyways, it's bye bye Christmas, hello all regular prompts I've been neglecting and shitty to


	22. Calum Centric: Not So Happy New Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got a New Years prompt on tumblr and thought I'd post it before it's too late. It was supposed to be up yesterday but I fell asleep earlier than expected, hence why it's now the 3rd. The prompt:  
> "hey a new year prompt could be cute? if you wanted i was thinking maybe calum or ashton are scared of the fireworks and it causes a panic attack and none of the other boys know why so they can't calm him down and the doctors have to get involved because it turns into breakdown kind of? idk it could be angsty and then cute with cuddles when they finally get him calm and he explains that he's scared so they 'protect' him?? sorry if this is lame  
> ~ Tumblr anon"

Three minutes left until January 1st 2015. The boys were gathered at the large line of windows on their floor, Michael and Ashton comically pressing their faces against the cool glass. For the first time in three years, Rian and Zack had agreed on putting on a fireworks display for the patients. Jack had arranged it, a beaming grin working its way onto his face every time Zack came to work with him or complimented his ideas and planning.  
Luke was wary of the display, but Alex - with the help of Ashton - had managed to acquire some earplugs for the blonde lad, knowing how loud crashes and bangs of any kind scared the boy to no end.

And so the boys found themselves ready and awaiting both the new year and the fireworks. The countdown was now underway.  
 _10... 9..._  
Luke slipped the earplugs in.  
 _6... 5..._  
The boys all grabbed each others' hands, arms looping around shoulders at the same time.  
 _2... 1..._  
"Happy New Year!" The four yelled in unison, hugging and laughing, sharing kisses on the cheek, neck and forehead.  
Then it all went to shit.

At the sound of the first firework going off, Luke stiffened, awaiting the 'bang' and relaxing minutely when it was muffled beyond recognition, and all he was focused on were the merging colours illuminating the sky.  
A sudden crushing grip on his hand startled him, and he tried to jerk away from the digits cutting off his circulation. He couldn't. Panicking slightly, he looked to see who was attempting to break his fingers, and saw Calum's wide eyes. He tilted his head curiously, fascination in the swirls of sparks suddenly dissipating as he saw the bassist flinch at what he heard as a muffled crash. His face softened and he moved away from the window, pulling Calum after him, the movement causing Michael and Ashton to turn also.

Calum had been dreading the fireworks all day. When he'd seen Alex offer Luke those earplugs, he'd been highly tempted to ask for a pair himself. It's not that he didn't like loud noises, he shared a room with Ashton for god's sake. He just hated fireworks. The colours were pretty, and the patterns were mesmerising, but the cacophonous bang that followed the light was deafening to him. Add that to the incident with the Catherine wheel that had happened when he was around five years old and he was near enough traumatised for life.  
The excitement of the occasion had taken over though, when they'd lined up at the window, his anticipation far outweighed the sinking feeling in his gut. It was as they were counting down the last ten seconds of 2014, hands gripping onto one another, arms slung over shoulders and around waists, shock cascaded down on Calum and he winced in preparation.  
He'd seen Luke jump, the loud noise still startling the already skittish blonde boy, but not enough to scare him. He on the other hand, was terrified.

Luke continued pulling Calum along the hall, the tanned lad's quickening breaths making him panic a little as he spotted the shuddery movements of Calum's chest. Shoving him lightly into the music room, thankful for the slight sound proofing that at least quieted the fireworks a little, Luke tucked Calum into the corner of the sofa. The blue eyed teen could sympathise, and he took a deep breath, removing the earplugs. Yet another bang from outside sounded, and Luke just managed to prevent himself from jumping a foot in the air and whimpering. _Calum's more important_ , he thought.  
He moved closer to the tanned lad, dragging a blanket with him too. He put the ear plugs in his pocket for now, wanting to get both him and Calum acclimatised to the sounds for a short while. He brought the blanket around the shaking boy's shoulders, chocolate brown eyes shining, brimmed with tears. He hugged the bassist closer, trying to calm the erratic breathing and quell the tremors a little.

Ashton and Michael popped their heads round the doorframe as another rocket took off into the night sky, a huge crash following its disappearance and dispersal of scarlet, cobalt and blinding white. They took in the scene, noting with pride that Luke had now offered Calum the earplugs, the dark haired boy gratefully slipping them into his ears and relaxing against the blonde as the outside became muffled.  
"Penguin?"  
Luke looked up at Mikey's call, nodding that they could come closer as he ran a hand down Calum's back.  
The two oldest teens rushed in, although at the sight of Calum's pale face, and teary eyes, Michael turned around and went to find Rian, knowing that as Calum's primary doctor, he'd want to know about the panic attack and apparent fear of fireworks.  
Ashton sat on Calum's other side, pulling both the younger teens against him, wrapping a long arm around both sets of shoulders. Long, long fingers found themselves tangled in dark locks, swirling patterns mapping themselves across Calum's scalp without intention.

A final bang, much more forceful than any preceding it shook the building, the last firework of the display obviously the largest and consequently the loudest. Calum jumped, but thankfully nothing more as the earplugs did their job. Luke on the other hand almost jumped off the sofa in fright, a startled and petrified whimper escaping him. Ashton's comfortingly wrapped a hand around the blonde's bicep, gently tugging him back to cuddle with him and Calum.  
Slowly reaching up, the eldest delicately pulled one side of the earplugs out, whispering into Calum's ear, "The fireworks are over now. You're safe, nothing's gonna get you, we'll keep you safe."  
The tanned lad's shaking subsided a little at the words, and as a stillness filled the room, the silence outside the building also a comfort, Calum slowly raised his head to meet the other boys' eyes. He sniffled.  
"I'm sorry for ruining New Years."  
Luke replied softly, "A-A-A panic-c at-at-attack is n-nothing to apo-ologise for."  
He looked up at Ashton for confirmation, and he smiled a little for the drummer nodded proudly.  
"He's right Cal, you couldn't help it. And next time, if it happens again, we'll know that earplugs and noise cancelling headphones are required. No big deal." He smiled warmly, pressing his cheek atop Calum's head.

Mikey poked his head into the room before retreating. He told Rian - who was stood behind him - that all seemed to be fine now, and reluctantly the doctor accepted. He'd noted down that Calum had an aversion to fireworks, and due to the phenomenal reception that the display had received, noted down that next time fireworks were required, both the two youngest members of the Youth Sector would be provided with earplugs. Rian nodded at Mikey with a smile and took his leave.

Entering the room quietly, Mikey sat on Luke's other side, plastered against the blue eyed lad's back and playing with blonde strands absentmindedly. He looked over to see Calum fidgeting and broke the silence.  
"Cal?"  
The teen in question looked up.  
"Can we know why you don't like fireworks?"  
A sigh escaped him and he took a deep breath to replace the air he'd just expelled.  
"It was Bonfire Night. I was about five, so fireworks were near enough magic to me. I was running around in the garden with Mali and some of our friends and family, but I didn't hear my dad yelling for us to get away from the fence."  
The other boys waited with bated breaths, all scared of how the story would end.  
"There was a Catherine Wheel, attached to one of the fence posts. I got a little too close and it went funny, went 'bang'. I didn't get hurt, dad snatched me away before I could, but the noise was so loud..."  
His voice dropped to a whisper and he curled into Ashton and Luke a little more.  
"Reminded me they're dangerous, no matter how pretty. Loud noises in general don't scare me, but when I know it's fireworks..."  
He shrugged as he trailed off.

Michael shared a look with Ashton, and he pressed against Luke more. He spoke up quietly, "Well, me and Penguin and Ash are all here to keep you safe from fireworks should the hospital have them again. We don't even have to watch if you don't want. Or we can get you earplugs like Lukey had."  
Calum smiled for the first time since the fireworks had started, and his body finally relaxed. He said with heartfelt honesty, "Thank you."  
"No problem, now, you look exhausted so about we all go to bed?" Ash suggested, already climbing to his feet and pulling Calum with him.  
"Will- would you guys stay with me?"  
"Of course! New Years cuddle pile, hells yeah!" Michael tried to make light of the situation, and Calum let out a brief burst of laughter. "Me and Luke will be there in a minute, just gonna get changed for bed, yeah?"  
The other teens nodded and left to their room, leaving Mikey still plastered against Luke's back. He pressed a kiss to the nape of Luke's neck and murmured against the warm skin, "I'm proud of you. Giving Calum your earplugs like that was brave, especially since I know how much loud noises scare you. I know Ashton is proud too."  
Despite the darkness of the room, Michael could see the blush colouring the tips of the blonde's ears and he let out a quiet chuckle before pulling Luke up with him.  
"Come on, let's get into our pjs and we can go cuddle and sleep with Ash and Cal."

When Alex checked on them in the morning, wanting to see if both Luke and Calum were alright - after what Rian had told him of the dark haired lad's reaction to the fireworks - he felt his heart warm as he saw all four boys squished into Calum's bed, wrapped around the bassist tightly. He grinned more as he saw the earplug still wedged into one of Calum's ears, and he too was proud of Luke. The comfort the lads all showed one another was lovely, and Alex left them to it, reporting to Rian that everything was fine now.


	23. Muke: A Kiss Will Shut You Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha so long time no update... I think we all know by now that I'm a shit. So I apologise for the serious lack of updates. But I hope this prompt is enjoyed nonetheless.
> 
> For the prompt:  
> "5. can you write about mikey and lukes first kiss all cute and fluffy muke like mikey is having a panic attack and his separation anxiety is flaring up really bad and luke finds him and mikey just starts talking rlly fast and pouring out to him all of his worries and how people always left him before and he just knows that everyone will again and luke tries to comfort him but mikey just won't stop talking and luke can't speak so he can't get him to be quiet so he kisses him to shut him up and mikey does and they spend the next hour cuddling and kissing and grinning like idiots  
> ~ blosskitty"
> 
> Also decided this works for:  
> "13. Maybe a cute muke kiss scene ? :) love these prompts  
> ~ Lukesbringingsexyback"
> 
> I apologise for going off the prompt a bit, there aren't really that many cuddle or extra kisses or silly grins, but there are a few. I hope you guys like it.

A vice was tightening in his chest, constricting his heart and lungs to the point of a physical ache. The solitude was an added blow, the harsh bite of loneliness pinching what the vice couldn't get. The quiet of the room was only permeated by the harsh, erratic breaths his squeezed lungs expelled, the ragged edge to each exhale loud and tinged with a wheezing quality. He knew it would come to this, the crippling emptiness that came with being abandoned yet again, that same hollow feeling filling his guts as his brain conjured up images of his friends laughing and jesting without him. A pained gasp escaped him, despite the little control he was clutching on to. Curling into the corner more, he hauled himself into a ball, holding his legs closer to his chest, face tucked into his knees.

Luke looked up, smile still in place until he noticed Michael's absence. Glancing around, the blonde still couldn't find the older lad, and he tapped Calum on the shoulder. Gesturing with his head, he excused himself and left to go and search for the guitarist.  
Biting his lip, he made his way back to their floor, internally berating himself for not realising Michael had disappeared sooner. He poked his head into his and Mikey's bedroom, frowning as he found it empty. He repeated the process with the communal bathroom, Ash and Cal's room, the TV and games room - all to find the same result. Sighing, he shuffled across the hall to the music room. Expecting to see yet another vacant space, he was surprised at the onslaught of panic that hit him once he'd opened the door.

The sound of the door made Michael's head shoot up from his knees, the change in brightness making his eyes sting a little. As the world came back into focus, he saw Luke walking towards him, a concerned pout adorning the younger teen's lips. A whimper left him, only managing to cause a pinched expression to take over Luke's face.  
The blonde perched on the edge of the cushion, hands hovering around Michael's folded legs. It was only when his fingertips made contact with the older lad did either of them react. One moment Luke was thinking how best to handle an overtly skittish Michael, the next his arms were full of said overtly skittish Michael.

Pressing his face into the juncture where the younger teen's neck met a broad shoulder, Mikey took deep yet shuddery breaths, inhaling the comforting scent that he linked with safety and happy and _Luke_.  
Mumbles started to fill the shocked silence, Luke's hand rubbing unsure circles between the other lad's shoulder blades.  
"I'm sorry, please don't leave me, not like them, not like all of them, I'm sorry, I can't help it but don't leave, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."  
Akin to a mantra, the phrases were repeated over and over, hysteria and panic and genuine fear lacing the words that were slowly increasing in volume, even as Michael pulled his head away.

Luke was at a loss, with no idea how to stop Michael from pulling at his hair as his apparent delirium took over. Physical force wasn't enough to calm the older lad, and Luke really didn't wanna have to talk - especially when he had no idea what to say. So he did the only thing he could think of; also, the only thing he'd wanted to do for a while but never had the courage to.  
He surged forward.

And pressed his lips to Michael's.  
It could hardly qualify as a kiss, a mere brush of skin but it was enough to silence the guitarist. Wide eyes locked onto his, a trembling hand moving to rest against a still open mouth. Finally, the silence became too much and Michael cleared his throat a little before,  
"Did you- did you just kiss me?"  
A bright blush covered the tips of Luke's ears, and shaded his cheeks a light pink. He nodded slowly, unsurely, and tilted his head a little.  
A small smile broke out on Michael's face, a similar grin mirrored on the blonde's own.  
"Have... Have you wanted to do that for a while?" Michael asked next.  
Another tiny nod had the guitarist's smile widening, his earlier panic all but forgotten entirely. He leant forward, and taking Luke's halted movements as consent, he pressed his lips once more to the blue eyed teen's. Feeling Luke smile into the kiss, Michael grinned, pulling away then dragging the blonde into a warm cuddle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, before I forget, as per someone's request, I'm on wattpad now.
> 
> Hi-Im-Lou
> 
> That's where GMT and the prompts will also be posted. Also, I'm still on tumblr, and there's a few more GMT related things over there, such as GMT tidbits.
> 
> 5sos-givemetherapy
> 
> So yeah.


	24. Happy Birthday Calum!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, gonna post this before the day changes - HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALUM!

Sunlight streamed through the open blinds, the brightness making Calum want to scream as it assaulted his eyes. Turning to glare at the culprit, just knowing that Ashton had opened them to get revenge for Calum had thrashed him at Band Hero the night before, he was surprised to see it was in fact Michael stood by the cord.  
"Mikey? What're you doing in my room?"  
The older lad looked oddly innocent, especially considering it was obvious that he was the reason for Calum's early morning wake up call.  
"It was Luke's idea and Ashton's orders. I'm innocent in everything except waking you up."  
Tilting his head like a curious puppy, Calum chewed on his bottom lip in thought. _What would they be planning?_

He didn't have long to think, as in the next minute he was assaulted by the tune of Happy Birthday, and the banging of party poppers. The door opened to reveal Luke carrying the phone blasting music, and Ashton pulling as many of the little confetti spreaders as he could manage in one go.  
Warmth bubbled up inside of him, a laugh escaping his mouth as he saw the two party hats Ashton had apparently attached to Luke's head to resemble ears. He continued to grin as Michael went and retrieved two more hats, marching back over to the tanned lad to strap one atop the dark hair. After putting his own on, he gently took the phone from Luke and lowered the volume.

Singing raucously, Ashton and Michael belted the lyrics to Happy Birthday, Luke joining in a little more quietly, but no less happily.  
Calum couldn't help laughing, a continuous stream of his infectious giggling filling the room. From the stupid voices Ashton was singing in, to the stupid faces Michael kept pulling, the grin wouldn't leave the bassist's face.

Later, when the boys were sitting in the music room, laughing and joking, teasing Luke about still being a 'baby', there was a knock at the door.  
Exchanging a knowing look with Michael, Ashton rose to his feet and went to open it, sharing a few muttered words with whoever was there before pulling the door wide open.  
"Happy birthday little brother!"  
Calum looked up, seeing his sister and parents stood there, arms laden with gifts and beams plastered to their faces. He shot to his feet, dashing across the room and launching himself at his family. He hugged the tightly, pressing kisses to his mum and sister's cheeks, and knocking his forehead against his dad's lightly.  
"What're you guys doing here? Not that I'm not extremely happy about it, but yeah."  
"Well, we were going to get permission to come visit and have the doctors tell you about it. But then we got a call from Ashton, telling us that Luke wanted a sort of surprise birthday party for you. And here we are." Calum's mother explained, setting down the gift bags she held on the sofa's arm.  
A soft look passed over Calum's face, and he turned to grin at Luke. Crossing over the room, he stopped next to where the blonde sat and bent over to press a big kiss to the top of Luke's head, chuckling slightly at the adorable blush that coloured the tips of Luke's ears.  
Music suddenly filled the comfortable silence, Michael stood next to the speakers and cranking up the volume as Black Eyed Peas, I Gotta Feeling floated around the room.  
"Dance party!" the guitarist yelled.

Hours later and things were finally calming down. Calum's parents and sister had left around an hour ago, leaving the boys to themselves as they settled back down as the evening wore on.  
Luke had passed out 40 minutes after Calum's family had left, cute snuffly breaths leaving his slightly parted lips. He'd curled up on the sofa, surrounded by torn wrapping paper.  
The older lads smiled indulgently and fondly, Ashton making a teasing jab at them needing to 'let the baby sleep'. They laughed quietly, tidying the rest of the recycling into a pile they could deal with in the morning. Yawns escaped the three of them.  
"You know, I think Lukey has the right idea. The excitement of my birthday has really worn me out."  
"I know what you mean, that dance party has me knackered." Ashton replied, shoving the remaining scraps of wrapping paper in the bin.  
"It's been awesome though, honestly you guys. I didn't know what to expect, but you guys made it better than I could've imagined. So thank you." Calum said sincerely, smiling at the two older boys warmly.  
"It was Luke's idea really, he got so excited about it. And now look at him," Michael gestured to the sleeping blonde, "He's knocked himself out. Actually, I'm gonna go put him to bed, can't have him sleeping there all night."  
Ashton and Calum only nodded, Calum gratefully accepting the hug offered to him.

After retiring to their own room and getting ready for bed, Ashton peered over at the birthday boy, making out his form under his covers in the darkness.  
"Hey Cal?"  
"Yeah?" the tanned lad called back, head popping up.  
"Happy birthday man."  
Calum grinned and replied softly, "Thanks. Goodnight Ash."  
"Goodnight birthday boy."


	25. Sort of OT4: Am I The Only Grown Up Here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates, school has been a bitch and I've had a bit of writers' block too recently. Anyways, this is for the prompt:
> 
> "22. omf yes so okay i thought of a good prompt when Ashton and Mikey fight over something ridiculous and then be childish and don't talk to each other but it makes Luke really upset cause his two friends are fighting and it's kinda up to Calum to sort out Mikey and Ash's shit but in the end it's loads of fluff and cuddles? pls and ty xxxx  
> ~ Tumblr anon"
> 
> Sorry if the ending is a little crappy, I couldn't think of any other way to wrap it all up.

It was a stupid argument, which led to a stupid fight, which led to a stupid, awkward silence between two of the boys. Those two boys being Ashton and Michael. It was stressing Calum out, and when Calum got stressed his insomnia started creeping back. More importantly, however, it was upsetting Luke, and _that_ was not acceptable in the slightest.

It had all started a few days ago. The boys had just been lolling around, having yet another lazy day. They'd hunkered down in the TV and games room, deciding to end the monotonous boredom with movie marathons and gaming championships. Calum hadn't been all too bothered, halfheartedly paying attention to the films decided upon; _really though, did they have to watch **all** of the 'Scary Movie' films?_. What had really tipped the boat was when after a gruelling, two hour long FIFA tournament - one which Luke had dropped out of 20 minutes into, and curled up asleep a quarter of an hour after that - an argument erupted and thus was the catalyst for teenage imbecility and stubbornness combined.

_Luke had not long been asleep, the flickering of his eyelids indicating his dream-state. Calum smiled as the blonde rubbed his cheek against the blanket he was laying on, but looked up sharply at the gasp he heard coming from the older lads._  
_The FIFA match had apparently come to an end, and the score shocked the dark haired teen almost as much as it had Michael. Ashton had won, seven to two. Now, had it been Calum Michael was opposing, that wouldn't be too mind blowing. Though considering it was **Ashton** , and the game was FIFA - a game the curly haired lad had repeatedly stated he didn't like - you can understand Michael's next move._  
_He threw his controller down with an indignant squawk, launching himself at the older boy, a litany of insults spewing from his lips. The drummer gave as good as he got; that in itself was an indication this wasn't just a normal bout of sore losing on Michael's part._  
_Normally when, on the extremely rare occasion, Ash beat Mikey at a video game, the eldest would just laugh off any attempt the guitarist made at slighting him during his loss driven tirade. Apparently not this time._  
_The argument ended on matching insults - "Ugh, you're such a moron!"_

Calum was neither a happy nor an impressed bunny. He was frustrated to say the least, and cantankerous to say the most. He stalked back to his and Ashton's room, a silent fury bubbling under his calm exterior.  
He'd tried talking to both boys about what had happened, darting between the rooms either older lad had settled in, but neither one of them seemed willing to apologise for their actions.

He let out a frustrated sigh, plastering on a comforting smile as he entered his room, the grin slipping a little at the pitiful sight before him.  
Luke was curled up on the tanned lad's bed - on his side, knees tucked to his chest and arms under his head. He was wrapped up in one of Ashton's oversized hoodies, a pair of Michael's sweats clinging to his slim hips. His stuffed penguin lay beside him, Luke's long fingers running through the soft outer fluff in random, sporadic patterns.  
Calum let out a sympathetic sound, shuffling over to his bed and flopping down beside the blonde. He laid down slightly, curling over Luke's back to press his lips to the blue eyed boy's exposed ear.  
"How you feeling, Lukey?"  
A shake of the head was his response, and the dark haired teen had to move away so the youngest couldn't feel his frown. He leant back over, muttering, "Have you eaten anything today?"  
The lack of a reply gave him his answer.

Enough was enough. Be it the minimal amount of successfully restful sleep he'd gotten over the past few days - or the constant sad, puppy-like expression that adorned Luke's features - something snapped that tiny amount of patience that Calum had been holding onto and he flipped.  
Marching into the corridor after pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of Luke's head, he shouted at the top of his lungs.  
"Ashton Fletcher Irwin! Michael Gordon Clifford! Front and centre you stupid fucks!"  
Not even a minute later and the two older boys were stood in front of him.  
"Right, you two seriously need to sort your shit out."  
His statement was immediately followed by bickering, the eldest half of the ARD unit already squabbling. Calum stuck two fingers in his mouth, a sharp whistle succeeding the movement.  
"Am I the only grown up here? Jesus Christ, you two have made Luke miserable for the past few days, and I'm barely sleeping. He hasn't eaten at all today because he's terrified you two'll be arguing if he steps foot outside the room you're not in. Sort out your shit!"  
Shocked silence filled the air as the bassist's anger fuelled outburst tapered off.

Turning to his left, Ashton had a pained expression on his face, apologising immediately.  
"I'm sorry Mikey."  
"I'm sorry too. I overreacted and was a dick."  
Michael wrapped Ashton in a hug. The older teen patted the younger' back gently as he replied,  
"It's okay. I didn't help matters."  
"So we good?"  
"Yeah dude, we're good."  
The two exchanged brief grins before turning to Calum and apologising for the inconvenience they caused. The tanned lad laughed in response and merely led them in Luke's direction.

After another round of apologies, and a trip to the lower floors for food, the quartet curled up in the TV and games room, a movie running quietly and lulling them all to sleep.


	26. Michael Centric: Half the Meds, Twice the Cuddles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm sorry I disappeared again, but here's a new prompt before AO3 goes down for moving servers and stuff. This was for the prompt:
> 
> "8. Please could you write something where Michael refuses to take his meds and becomes all clingy towards the other boys especially Ashton?? I hope you can!!!  
> ~ Emery"
> 
> I'm sorry if this isn't exactly what you want but I tried.

Ashton was getting concerned.

For the past few days, Michael's separation anxiety provoked behaviour had been fluctuating from anywhere between complete independence, and what Calum and Ashton himself had classed as "Koala Syndrome" - most commonly seen in Luke. It was unusual, especially since the medication that Luke and Michael were on was effective in stabilising those feelings of separation and nullifying the behaviour a little. What made the changes all the more strange, was the fact that Luke had been acting as normal: seeking cuddles when he felt lonely; offering cuddles as comfort; holding hands out of affection; the "normal Luke".  
Michael on the hand, usually boisterous and brash, loud and excitable, had been subdued and hesitant as of late. Constantly seeking reassurance and comfort in the form of hugs, the second eldest lad was - for lack of a better word - clingy.  
So yeah, Ashton was getting concerned.

The boys were cuddled up - as per the regular daily routine - in the music room, a CD playing softly in the background and Luke's slender fingers plucking at the guitar strings. The youngest was curled against Calum, a large hand tangled in his golden locks as he hummed a song only known to him in time with the melody resonating from the guitar. Calum was leaning against Ashton, back to back with the eldest, and his dark hair was ruffled by the back of the sofa every time he moved his head. The eldest teen had his arms full of Michael, who had curled up almost fully on top of the drummer, and his blue hair tickled Ash's chin sporadically. Sighing heavily, his chest heaving once with the exhale, Ashton slowly started carding his fingers through Mikey's hair. The notes flowing from the guitar slowly tapered off, Luke's fingers idling as his body slumped into slumber. The curly haired boy smiled, the tiny grin only seen by Michael as he looked up at the older lad. He glanced around Ash's arm, seeing Calum's shoulders shake - and feeling the slight jostle - as the dark eyed teen caught sight of Luke's serene expression and chuckled. He moved the guitar from the blonde's lap, placing it on the other end of the L-shaped sofa. Michael sighed, feeling anxiety creep up on him as Ashton shifted, and he feared the older lad would leave him to take Luke to bed.

The feel of fingers gripping his shirt derailed Ashton from his previous train of thought. He turned his head away from Luke's direction and glanced down at Mikey, seeing the contemplative frown that drew the younger boy's eyebrows together. Absently, he ran a soothing hand over Michael's forehead and his fingers carded through blue strands of their own accord. Momentarily distracted by the gentle cooing murmurs that escaped Calum's lips, Ashton nudged the dark haired lad with his shoulder and nodded for him to take Luke to his room.  
The nod he received in reply was minimal, but he felt Calum shuffle to sit straighter. Michael's fingers tightened their grip and he made a soft shushing sound to calm him. Something wasn't right with the blue haired teen, and Ashton vowed to find out what was wrong, but first, he wanted to get Luke and Calum out of the room.

"Cal? Could you take Lukey to bed? I think Mikey needs me for now." he whispered, pressing his cheek onto the blue locks resting under his chin.  
"Sure, you just need to move a little so I can wake him up." Calum gave his equally quiet reply.  
The eldest did as asked, pulling Michael closer and sitting up so that Calum could shake Luke's shoulders. Sleepy blue eyes opened at the repetitive push-pull and he grumbled a little. Luke dragged himself to his feet, and Calum stifled a laugh as he took the blonde's hand and pulled him after him out of the room.

Turning to Michael, Ashton looked down and murmured, "What's going on in that head of yours, hey?"  
"S'nothing." Mikey mumbled back, pressing his cheek more firmly to Ashton's chest.  
"It's not nothing, Mikey, I'm worried about you. So are Calum and Luke. Your meds don't seem to be working like they are for Luke and we're concerned."  
Michael uttered something unintelligible against Ash's shirt.  
"Wait, what was that?"  
"I said: I kinda, sorta haven't been taking my meds..."  
Silence in the form of disbelief engulfed the room for several moments. Time seemed to stand still as Ashton froze, his entire body tensing up. Michael feared the potential tirade that would befall him.  
"Why haven't you been taking your meds, Michael?" Ashton's voice held a disapproving quality, one that made Michael feel like he was being scolded by a disappointed parent.  
The younger lad fought the urge to shrug, knowing full well the reason why he didn't take his medication.  
He sighed once instead, and muttered honestly, "I feel like you don't want to spend time with me anymore."  
Confusion drew Ash's brows together as he replied, "Mikey, we spend time with each other everyday of the week."  
A louder sigh followed.  
"I know _that_ , but I mean one on one time. Just me and you. I feel like my meds control my anxiety so much that you never see any need to just sit and cuddle with me and tell me that I'm not alone and you won't leave."

Michael sounded so sad, and guilt sucker-punched Ashton in the gut at the earnest confession. He realised that what Mikey said was true - he did sometimes forget that Michael needed reassurance and hugs, forehead kisses and hand holding. He felt awful, especially as it took Michael refusing his meds for him to see his error. The eldest pulled the younger lad closer and cuddled him tightly.  
"Oh Mikey, I'm so sorry. I don't know how to apologise more, but I can promise that I'm gonna do something about this."  
"Yeah? What?" Michael sounded hopeful.  
"Okay how about this, every Tuesday and Friday, we both set aside an hour or two, and it can just be Ash and Mikey time? Cal and Lukey will understand." Ashton proposed, looking into Michael's eyes to gauge his true reaction.

A beaming grin worked itself onto Michael's features and he nodded quickly. Ashton smiled back.  
"On one condition though: take your meds. Don't make yourself suffer just to cuddle with me."  
"I promise, when we get our meds at dinner, I'll take them so you can see. Promise."  
Ashton nodded and pressed their foreheads together, planting a platonic kiss upon the tip of Michael's nose. He pulled back with a small smirk.  
"Now, I do believe that today is a Friday."  
Mikey laughed and pushed Ash over, laying on top of the older boy comfortably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd also just like to thank everyone for the views, the kudos, the comments and the support. I saw earlier that GMT Prompts has reached 10,000 hits and I'm overwhelmed. So thank you all so much.


	27. Ashton Centric: Don't You Cry No More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt it fit to combine these two, so this is for the following prompts:
> 
> "24. Can you maybe do some Ashton angst? Maybe have him upset, crying about something, and the other find him and comfort him and calm him down? Thanks, your series is absolutely amazing.  
> ~ Tumblr anon"
> 
> And:
> 
> "21. may I please have an ashton gmt prompt where he has a really bad nightmare and the boys can't calm him down? like he can't stop crying but then Luke manages to do that? idk but could it be lots of lashton though and fluff? thank you, love the series x  
> ~ Tumblr anon"

_The house was too hot. He couldn't breathe. He shot bolt upright, panting through the wheezing gasps that could barely expand his lungs. He swore his eyes were open but he couldn't see. Turning his head left then right, panic started to build as he still couldn't see. The thick haze of smoke blurred his already poor vision, tears building and overflowing as the harsh sting of heat and smog attacked him. Hearing distressed yells, he jumped from his bed, fighting with the sheets tangled around his legs. He stumbled, dragging himself from the floor and rushing to his bedroom door. The screams were louder now, permeating the air and ramping his own panic higher. He scanned the hallway, the roar of the fire and the crackle of the flames hitting him full force and deafening him. He still couldn't breathe. He tried to call out but his voice caught in his throat, a pained keening leaving him instead. Making his way down the corridor, finally deciding to cover his mouth and nose with his shirt, his eyes widened in shock as he saw his family stumble from their own bedrooms. He locked eyes with his mother, gesturing his head for them to all follow him down the stairs. He received a nod from his father, watching as the man took his siblings' hands. The floor creaked as he turned on his heel, head snapping back occasionally to track his family's whereabouts behind him. The fire was only spreading, the flames reaching dizzying heights as they climbed the walls of his home; he and his family battled through the thickening smoke. A cacophonous groan somehow managed to raise its volume over the growl of the house-fire, and he turned in time to see a beam fall, smashing straight through the stairs. Eyes wide in unabated fear, he watched in terror as he was segregated from his parents and siblings. Their screams suddenly became pained as they were engulfed by the growing fire behind them, and tears sprung to his eyes as he saw his family burn alive right in front of him. He screamed._

"Noooo!"

Harsh, heavy pants filled the silence of the room, as his chest contracted with mild, residual horror; the mid-afternoon sun highlighting the abundance of terror distorting Ashton's features. He dragged his hands over his face, long fingers attempting to wipe away the tears clouding his vision. Looking around, Ash found the room empty, just as it had been when he'd decided to have a nap. He took in a shuddery breath, attempting to calm himself.  
He hadn't had a nightmare like that for just over a year. The month following his family's tragic deaths had been plagued with horrifying night terrors, all of them playing out similarly to the one he'd just experienced, but he hadn't suffered any for a long time. Checking his phone, he saw it'd only been 40 minutes since he'd drifted off and it made him sigh. The other lads would be back from their respective therapies soon.  
Flashes of his nightmare ran through his head. The struggling to breathe, the fear on his brother and sister's faces, the terror in his mother's eyes. Tears sprang to his own, and they ran unchecked down his tanned cheeks. A choked sob escaped him before he had a chance to stop it, and soon enough he found himself crying into his drawn up knees.

Luke, Calum and Michael made their way down the hall, deciding to drop Calum's phone and hoodie in his room before finding Ashton. Upon opening the door, three hearts cracked in synchronisation, the devastation in the wails of despair breaking them a little. Mikey and Calum rushed forward immediately, trying to comfort and console the sobbing teen between them. Ashton only cried harder, latching onto their arms and gripping their shirts tightly enough his knuckles went white.  
Luke remained in the doorway, unsure of what to do. He recognised the signs of a night terror - he'd had plenty of them himself - and he vacated the room quickly. Darting into the music room, he picked up his favourite acoustic guitar and hurried back to Ash and Cal's bedroom. Perching on the end of the bed, he patted the eldest's foot reassuringly, strumming out a tune.

Ashton seemed to instantly relax once Luke had arrived, the soothing melody from the guitar calming him a little. He allowed Michael to pull him to lean against his chest, feeling the gentle tug of Calum's long fingers carding through his curls. Bloodshot hazel eyes locked onto the way a slightly curled golden lock of hair fell onto Luke's forehead, the blonde's head down as he concentrated on playing. A soft voice started singing.

"Carry on my wayward son, there'll be peace when you are done, lay your weary head to rest, don't you cry no more."  
Ashton lifted a hand and wiped at his eyes, smearing away the tears onto already wet cheeks.  
"Once I rose above the noise and confusion, just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion, I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high. Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man, though my mind could think I still was a mad man, I hear the voices when I'm dreaming, I can hear them say."  
Michael and Calum picked up the backing vocals, humming quietly in the background when they weren't needed.  
"Carry on my wayward son, there'll be peace when you are done, lay your weary head to rest, don't you cry no more."  
Luke played a little longer, looking up at the trio huddled together. Eyes locked with Ash's, the hazel hues now tear free and a tiny smile curled his lips upwards. He murmured, "Don't you cry no more."


	28. Gen: First Meetings (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my phone got fucked, but it's now unfucked. So here a prompt to celebrate. (Chapter is slowly getting there I promise.)
> 
> For the prompt:
> 
> "6. Also have you considered doing a chapter on the first time Luke, Ashton, and Michael met because if you did I would totally read that in a heartbeat.  
> ~WickedValilali"
> 
> I hope it is enjoyed.

**When Michael met Luke...**

He was nervous. Of course he was nervous, who wouldn't be? 15 years old and being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Granted they had a Youth Sector, meaning he'd be with people of his own age, but still. He gripped his Grandma's hand a little tighter, leaning against her arm as she led the way into the hospital. He must've zoned out because the next thing he knew he was shaking hands with a doctor. The man's large, dark eyebrows seemed to have a life of their own as they rose and fell as he spoke. His ears finally got the hint and listened in, thankfully in time to catch the man's name.  
"I'm Doctor Gaskarth, but you can call me Alex. I'll be your primary physician, and Rian will be your secondary. It's nice to meet you Michael."  
Nodding his head, Michael replied quietly, "Nice to meet you too."  
Alex smiled warmly, reassuringly, and he gestured for the relatives to follow him. Guiding them to the elevator, he took a breath then proceeded to explain a little about the new arrangements.

"Recently, we've had an increase in Youth Sector admissions, so we've had to rearrange the floors a little. You, Michael, will now be on Floor 6. Originally, we were going to place you on Floor 5, but over the past fortnight we've had three new patients, excluding yourself, and they've taken the space. We've had to move another boy, he's the closest to you in age, to Floor 6 as well. We're settling it as the Anxiety Related Disorders, or ARD, Unit."  
Having been listening attentively, and noting Alex's pause as his cue to ask any questions, Michael took the opportunity: "How old is the other boy? And does he have similar... 'conditions' to me?"  
Smiling a little sadly at the cautious undercurrent lacing the teen's queries, Alex answered, "Luke's nearly 15, and yes, he does."  
Noticing the slight slump of relief to Michael's shoulders, Alex stepped off the elevator once the doors opened and moved his arm in front of him, allowing them to step ahead. He led the way down the corridor, pointing out different features as he went before stopping at an empty bedroom. Opening the door, he let Michael's Grandma enter first, followed closely by Michael who still hadn't relinquished his hold on her hand.  
"Mikey, dear, this room is rather lovely. Plenty of room for your posters. Oh, Dr. Gaskarth, is he allowed posters?"  
Smiling at the concerned tone in the elder woman's voice, Alex replied, "We like our patients to feel as comfortable as possible. Hence why we keep the walls as white paper. Posters, pictures and photographs are all allowed."  
Michael's Grandma beamed at her grandson, squeezing his hand a little, "You'll be okay here, Mikey. I just know they'll be able to help you."  
Kissing her cheek, Michael stifled a sigh and murmured beneath his breath, "Yeah, I hope so."

After guiding Michael and his grandmother through the rest of the rooms on that floor, Alex stopped the group outside what Michael assumed to be the other boy's room. The doctor's face scrunched up a little, seemingly pondering how best to approach the situation. He turned to face Michael a moment then muttered quietly, "Please, just wait here a moment while I talk to Luke."  
Nodding their acquiescence, Michael took step back, gently pulling his grandparent with him.  
Alex smiled slightly and disappeared through the door, shutting it behind him quietly. Hushed murmurs could be heard despite the door, the conversation seeming completely one sided. Panicked breathing followed the odd silence, and soothing tones followed after that. The silence settled once again and the door opened.

Michael was surprised by the boy stood opposite him. He was skinny, extremely so, and it was slightly unsettling. Wide, fearful blue eyes met his, and the pale blonde hair that fell across an even paler forehead shimmered a little in the light seeping through the semi-closed blinds. His step forward caused the younger lad to step back, though Alex's hand on his bony shoulder prevented him going too far. There remained a slight stuttering quality to Luke's breathing, and despite sending a reassuring (at least he hoped it was reassuring) smile, the younger teen didn't seem to appreciate it.  
"Luke, this is Michael. He's new to the hospital and is gonna be sharing this floor with you, okay? He's got some of the same things as you." Alex introduced, pausing briefly to face Michael before continuing, "Michael, this is Luke. I'm gonna warn you and tell you he's mute, it's not personal, but I still think you two will get on well."  
Michael nodded, still regarding Luke with something new akin to curiosity - while Luke's gaze dropped to his socked feet. Braving it, Michael stepped forward and slowly reached his right hand out, ever so gently taking Luke's matching hand and shaking it.  
"It's nice to meet you, Luke. I'd like it if we could be friends."  
Momentarily startled by the gentle action, Luke's head shot up. His blue eyes latched onto Michael's green with laser focus. Then after a moment, surprising all in the room, he smiled, using their still connected hands to pull Michael into a fleeting hug. Stepping back, he nodded once.

As Michael's smile widened to a grin, a muffled tearful laugh sounded behind them. Turning to look back at his Grandma in concern, Mikey found her eyes locked on Luke. She stepped closer to the pair, and exchanged a look with Dr. Gaskarth who nodded.  
"Luke, dear, would it be alright if I hugged you?" she asked tentatively.  
Upon receiving a hesitant nod, the elderly woman moved closer and engulfed the blonde in her arms. Luke patted her back slightly awkwardly, listening carefully as she started whispering.  
"You take care of my Mikey, okay? He needs a good friend and I can see you'll be one to him. I think you two can help each other."  
Stepping back, she schooled her features and quickly wiped a hand across her eyes. She turned to face her grandson once more. "You be good. Don't give the doctors any gyp."  
Laughing, Michael hugged her tightly and murmured his agreement into her shoulder before pulling away.

After she'd left, Alex - with the aid of Luke - finished Michael's tour of the hospital. Returning them to their floor, the doctor left to complete his rounds. Showing Michael to the TV room once more, Luke put in a movie and gestured for Michael to sit down.  
By halfway through the film, Mikey had a lap full of sleeping blue eyed teenager, and he couldn't find it in him to care. He liked Luke, there was something about him he really liked, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. Oh well. At least he'd made a friend.


	29. Gen: First Meetings (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the following prompt:
> 
> "6. Also have you considered doing a chapter on the first time Luke, Ashton, and Michael met because if you did I would totally read that in a heartbeat.  
> ~WickedValilali"
> 
> Again, hope you enjoy it.

**When Ashton met Luke and Michael...**

Despite the fact that the white halls should have been unnerving, Ashton felt an odd calm wash over him as the dark haired, dark eyed doctor led him and his parents through the hospital. His younger siblings were currently being looked after by his grandparents, something which he was grateful for. Dr. Dawson was telling his parents about the hospital and the different treatments available - including their varying success rates. He wasn't really listening, if he was honest, and was only interested in getting settled as soon as possible so he could get back to his family and be _normal_. He crashed into his father's back as the group stopped at the elevator. Grinning sheepishly up at his dad, Ashton rubbed the back of his neck and finally paid attention to what the doctor - Rian - was saying.

"So Ashton, what do you think of the tour so far?"  
Internally balking at the sudden line of questioning, the teenager fought with himself not to stumble over his words as he answered, "It seems nice enough, I guess."  
He was relieved when Rian actually laughed at his statement.  
"You'll have to thank mine and my co-coordinator's minimalistic tastes for the décor I'm afraid. Neither Zack nor I are particularly adept when it comes to interior design."  
Ashton nodded, feeling a little guilty for the slight self-conscious undertone lacing the man's words.  
"It's great, I'm sure. I mean, I've only just got here, what do I know?"  
His parents merely shook their heads at him, smiling at his politeness. The elevator finally arrived, allowing them access to the other floors.

Stopping as the lift dinged upon reaching Floor 5, Ashton once again dutifully followed after his parents as they were led down yet another white corridor. Rian explained a little as they went, pointing out the offices and examination rooms and showing them inside. That was over quickly though as Ashton found himself ushered through a set of double doors. Oh! So they were taking the stairs to the upper floor of the hospital? Apparently it was so Ashton knew where to go should there ever be a fire.

Surprised at how much energy those flights of stairs took out of him, Ashton hesitated a moment to get his breath back. It was during this hesitation that he fully managed to absorb the occurring dilemma down the corridor. He'd already been told - somewhere amongst Rian's ramblings the topic had come up - about the people he'd be sharing a floor with. Michael and Luke, both younger than him (just turned 17 and 16-and-a-half respectively) and both suffering from anxiety. What he didn't expect, was to see his secondary physician and one of his roommates stood outside what seemed to be the locked door of a bedroom. He watched as Rian hurried over to assist his fellow doctor. Though hushed due to distance, Ash could still hear what was being said.

"Alex, Mikey, what's going on?"  
The teenager turned to face Rian with wide, slightly sad eyes. "Lukey locked himself in and last I checked he was crying. He wouldn't open the door so I got Alex but he still wouldn't open it."  
Alex sighed, gently squeezing Michael's shoulder as he reported, "We've been stood here for about 20 minutes. Mikey says he didn't seem like he was gonna... You know. But I prefer to err on the side of caution with him, you know I do."  
"Yeah, we all do." Rian nodded, acknowledging some unspoken, previously decided upon agreement. "So what's the plan now? We have no idea what's going on in there, and I've just brought our new arrival to see his floor. That's definitely not gonna help this situation."  
"Shit, the new kid's up here too?" Alex looked over and saw the stunned faces of the Irwins; he waved. "So sorry about this, just having a little trouble."  
Taking his parents' nods as their answers, Ashton instead stepped forward, making his way over to the huddled trio. He greeted his other doctor with a tight smile, then turned to face the other lad.  
"Hi, I'm Ashton. I take it you're Michael then?" He extended a hand.  
A shaky one grasped it loosely, returning the handshake and smiling nervously. "Yeah, I'm Michael, or Mike, or Mikey. Whatever. Luke's in there."  
Ashton frowned at the watery reply and glanced to the door. He looked back at his fellow teen, and then at the hospital staff before apprehensively suggesting, "Maybe I can help?"

45 minutes, countless tears, frightened whimpers, and grateful murmurs of relief later, Michael was sat with Luke curled into his side, stretched out on the shorter side of the plush L-shaped sofa. Ashton sat opposite them, smiling gently as Luke snuffled against Michael's collarbone.  
His parents had said goodbye not long after they'd all finally managed to remove Luke from his room. They'd told him how proud they were, especially after witnessing him softly cajole and coax Luke out of his room, despite having never met the boy. Heartfelt goodbyes and solid promises had followed hugs and kisses and then they were gone.  
Watching the two younger boys (and thinking back on the admittedly surprisingly positive response he'd received upon getting Luke out of his room) Ashton felt oddly settled.


	30. Sort of Muke: I Wish That I Could Rewind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an original prompt based around some info I found out not that long ago(?)  
> Either way there is some inspiration for this and that's kittenmichael's wonderful fic 'My stomach's tied in knots'. I recommend reading it, as well as the rest of their fics cuz they're pretty awesome.
> 
> On another note, I apologise for being so shit and absent, but I've had school, exams, and other commitments cropping up as well as some slight writer's block so please forgive me.

Michael sat on the edge of his bed, holding his head in his hands. His shoulders shook with repressed emotion, both anger and sadness threatening to overwhelm him. He hadn't meant to say it - hadn't meant it at all, but what was done was done; he couldn't rewind what had happened. The long-sleeved t-shirt in his lap was teetering on the edge of his knees although his elbows kept it trapped against the solid bone there. He shifted his arms, letting the shirt drop into his lowered hands then curling his fingers into the warm, faded grey material. Once upon a time the shirt had been white and his, but after the first nightmare that had rocked their friendship, he'd given it up. He'd removed the tear-stained navy tee the other boy wore and replaced it with his own before his roommate even noticed the change. The younger lad had curled into the softness of the worn cotton, pulling the sleeves to cover his fingers then the neckline close and inhaling a deep calming breath; it'd belonged to Luke ever since. At least it had until Ashton had thrown it at his feet only a few hours earlier. Michael brought the shirt up to his face, burying his nose in the fabric and inhaling the sweet, familiar scent (vanilla mixed with something that could only be described as _Luke_ ) he associated with the blonde haired teen he called his best friend. Tears started working their way down his cheeks, dripping onto the t-shirt in his hands and darkening the light grey in sporadic patterns. He shook himself violently, vowing to correct his mistake and see Luke in the stolen shirt again.

Steeling his resolve, Michael opened the door to his and Luke's room and made his way down the hallway on slightly shaky legs. He mentally bypassed the long list of negative reactions his next move could elicit, focusing only on the ones where he achieved forgiveness and Luke cuddling him again. Standing outside Calum and Ashton's room, his confidence wavered but his determination did not. Fuck his own sadness right now, Luke was way more important. Tucking the bulk of the tee into his pocket - the rest of it hanging by his thigh - he knocked on the door.

Calum was furious. If he hadn't been witness to it, he wouldn't have believed it to be true, but he couldn't deny what his eyes had seen. As cliché as it was, despite his ire, he was more disappointed in Michael than anything else. Granted he'd been there for the shortest amount of time, but even he knew that anything food or weight related made Luke upset and could potentially trigger his (for the most part) dormant eating issues. Michael should have known better, especially having known the blonde the longest. Although the tanned lad's frustration with Michael could never hold up to Ashton's.  
Immediately after the words had left the second oldest boy's mouth, Ashton had shot to his feet, glare in place and unwavering as it locked onto the offender in question. Silently he'd urged Calum to escort a shell-shocked Luke from the room.

Now, nearly two whole hours later, Luke was still laying with his ear pressed to Calum's chest as Ashton paced the length of the room like a caged tiger. The soothing, repetitive _thump-thump_ of the bassist's heartbeat had settled Luke's mild panic and resulted in the blue eyed teen being lethargic and pliant, completely malleable to Calum's cuddle-whims. Swaddled in a blanket with his stuffed penguin (the giant one Calum had gotten him for the Secret Santa they'd done at Christmas) encased in his arms. Long, narrow fingers gripped the downy softness of the toy, delicately stroking across the line where black and white met. Calum carded his own fingers through golden locks, the silky strands slipping between the digits easily.  
Ashton's head snapped to face the door as his whole body came to a complete standstill. Scowl falling back into place, Ashton strode over to the door, wrenching it open and staring intently at the perpetrator.

The speed at which the door opened had Michael startled. He took a step back to right himself before slowly meeting Ashton's rage filled eyes; he just hoped he looked pitiful enough to not be sent away immediately.  
"What do you want?"  
_So much for that plan._  
"I want to apologise to Luke. To his face." Mikey replied without hesitation. To his dismay, Ashton's frown only deepened.  
"I don't think he wants to see you. I know for a fact Calum and I don't want him to see you."  
Michael's face fell even more, his heart aching with his desperation to make things okay again between Luke and himself. "Please Ashton, let me talk to him. Please."  
In the background, the second oldest teen was acutely aware of a whispered conversation, and just as Ashton was about to deny him yet again, Calum's voice piped up.  
"Ash, let him in. Lukey's okay to listen to him."

Stepping into the room, narrowly missing knocking shoulders with Ashton, Michael's heart broke at the scene in front of him. No matter how comical Luke being sandwiched between Calum and a giant penguin should've been, it was just sad. Luke had curled against Calum's stomach, shifting so his penguin lay on the opposite side of him to the dark haired boy. He'd been wrapped in a blanket - the softest one on their floor, possibly the softest in the whole hospital - and was rhythmically brushing a corner over his nose. A quiet sound of distress escaped Michael without his own conscious volition and soft blue eyes snapped up at the noise. Michael's heart broke again at the look in those eyes.  
Red-rimmed and slightly puffy, Luke's eyes were bloodshot and just plain _upset_. His hair was a mess and Michael swore he could see residual tears clinging to those long, dark lashes. He took a step closer to the bed, taking a deep breath before closing the rest of the distance between him and the youngest. Laying a gentle hand on the blanket covered foot, his thumb subconsciously rubbed back and forth across the sharp jut of Luke's ankle bone, Mikey took another deep breath before meeting Luke's eyes.

"I am so so sorry, Lukey. I was such a dick and that was incredibly insensitive of me to say anything along those lines, especially when I've known you longest." He paused, making sure Luke was actually listening to him. At the tiny apprehensive he received, he continued, "I didn't mean it, I would never mean it and I really hope you know that. I said it without thinking and that makes me an arsehole because I'm normally always thinking of you. If I could take it back, and erase that moment from the rest of time, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I can't. So all I can do is apologise over and over and pray you forgive me. I am so sorry."  
An asphyxiating silence descended upon the room, Calum and Ashton waiting patiently for Luke's response. Michael's hands got clammy, his nervousness at the blonde teen's reaction causing him to break into a cold sweat.

Finally, _finally_ , after what felt like hours but in reality was only less than two minutes, Luke smiled.

Nodding once, Luke released his grip on his penguin, extending him arm towards Michael instead. Tears pricked at green eyes as the guitarist sobbed a sigh of relief, moving up the bed to perch on Luke's other side. Fingers gripped his shirt and he couldn't help but send up a thank you to any deity listening that his best friend had the hugest heart.  
Calum slipped from the bed, moving to lean against Ashton as they watched Luke pull Michael onto the mattress. Ashton draped his arm across the broad shoulders next to him, laughing lightly as Luke pushed and pulled at Michael's limbs to make himself more comfortable.  
Pressing kisses into the blonde hair tucked under his chin, Mikey breathed out his request. "Lukey?"  
Luke moved his head slightly, feeling the older lad's breath ruffle his hair as he spoke.  
"Do you wanna wear my shirt again? You know the one."  
Michael could've jumped for joy when Luke pulled away, hands at the hem of his shirt and waiting for the provision of the other one. Untucking the bunched up material from his pocket, he readied it to be slipped over Luke's head whilst the youngest quickly stripped his top off.

Pulling the grey cotton into place, giving Luke the "sweater paws" he loved so much, Mikey grinned and pulled Luke closer to him, brushing fingers through the soft hair under his hand.  
When Calum and Ashton joined them in a cuddle pile not even a minute later, his grin didn't lessen as he felt Luke press his cheek to his collarbone. He'd been forgiven, and Luke was cuddling him; he needed nothing else right then.


	31. Happy Birthday Ashton!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a day late but it took me a while to word it right. Either way, happy birthday Ash, we all love you.

In his waking moments, it took Ashton a while to realise it was his birthday; likely due to the fact that when he sat up, his room was vacant of anyone but himself. Stretching with a quiet groan, Ashton blinked hard to rid his eyes of both sleep and bleariness. He looked over at Calum's empty bed, frowning at the tangled sheets and floored pillows. _Strange..._ he thought - tugging at wayward locks of his hair - _Normally you don't get a minute of peace when it's your birthday._ Swinging his legs over the edge of his mattress, he scrubbed a hand over his face and set his feet on the floor. Stretching once more, he stood, revelling in the crack and pop of his spine and joints before going to the bathroom to do his business.  
10 minutes later, he came out refreshed: teeth cleaned and bladder relieved; a towel wrapped around his waist as he rubbed another over his head in a vain attempt to dry his hair. Stopping at his drawers to get a clean pair of boxer-briefs, Ash turned back to his bed and a look of surprise cascaded over his face. Someone (he presumed either Luke or Calum judging by the neatness of the pile) had set some clothes on his main pillow. His favourite pair of black skinny jeans, the denim torn at the knees, was folded carefully at the bottom of the pile. Atop them sat his favourite Nirvana shirt, holes and all, the white sleeves tucked under the brown torso section of the tee. A pair of plain black trainer socks had been lain beside the main pile. Dropping his hair towel onto the bed, Ashton quickly dried himself off, getting dressed and perching on the edge of his bedside table to slip on the socks. That done, he reclaimed his hair towel and scrubbed at his hair to the best of his ability, achieving minimal dampness to remain. Waking up completed, he finally checked his phone and smiled at the birthday text his grandparents had somehow figured out how to send; he figured they'd got one of the nice girls at the local tea shop to show his Nana. His eyes widened at the time displayed and he frowned as his stomach growled. Food, he needed food.

Upon exiting his room, Ashton's path was blocked by Luke's giant stuffed penguin, the blonde boy's favourite out of the few he owned. The penguin's neck had a large red ribbon wrapped around it, a neat bow tied the ends together - keeping it in place. A piece of string threaded through the hole in a small, bright yellow piece of card stood out in stark contrast to the black/white of the toy. Curious, Ashton turned the card over.  
_**Ash** , happy birthday man! If you want your gifts, or any of us, follow the yellow card road. (Sorry about the pun :/ that was Mikey's idea) Oh, by the way, this treasure hunt may have some riddles. Love Cal, Lukey and Mikey x_  
Rolling his eyes fondly at his stupid, ridiculous but brilliant best friends, Ashton looked up from the penguin. Turning his head both left and right, he stared up and down the corridor, scrutinising the hallway for any more yellow cards. Seeing nothing, he frowned and shrugged, picking the penguin up and returning it to Luke and Michael's room. Sure enough, as they'd expected him to do it anyway, there was an A4 sized yellow card sitting on Luke's bed, held up by the rest of the youngest lad's penguin collection. Ashton couldn't help but snort out a laugh.

According to the directions on the card, he'd made it to the dining hall with little to no trouble at all, only having been confronted with confused stares and slightly knowing grins from Leoni and Tyler. He'd smiled back at them, realising that the other lads had probably let them in on the birthday surprise. Pushing open the door on the left, Ashton slipped into the room quietly, glancing around and seeing a yellow card on the table where the ARD unit typically sat. He manoeuvred himself through the crowd of other patients, taking a seat at the table and flipping over the yellow card. All that was drawn on it was a smiley face. A pout took over his lips at the sight.  
Not even a minute later, Ashton heard footsteps approaching his table and he looked up. He grinned as he saw Rian coming over, a plate in one hand and a wrapped gift in the other.  
Setting the plate down in front of the teenager, Rian shrugged off the backpack Jack had given him earlier and said, "Happy birthday, Ash! Here is your birthday breakfast - requested for you by Michael - and this bag is for you to put all your gifts in." He handed the remaining two listed items to the boy, giving a final comment before departing, "Oh yeah, Calum's orders - no opening presents until the end of the hunt."  
Ashton nodded at his doctor's retreating figure, grinning down at his plate. Fluffy golden pancakes with bacon cut up and shaped into smiley faces stared up at him. He dug in quickly, groaning quietly to himself at the delectable flavour of the crisp bacon mingling with sweet pancake. As he got down to the last pancake, the final bite looming, he spotted the yellow post-it note peeking out from under his breakfast. Chewing thoughtfully, he read the short paragraph, squinting in confusion.  
_Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything. It all started here, right in this room, the next clue is waiting, hurry up dude._  
He swallowed the last of his breakfast, picking up the backpack and slipping his gift inside it as he stood. Mulling over the note once more, he stuck the card in his pocket as he returned his plate to the service hatch. "Therapy, and a room... Hmm... Oh shit, the music room, duh."

From the music room, Ashton obtained a second present (courtesy of Zack) and a note he interpreted to direct him to the games room. He collected yet another gift - this time from Alex - and a note that simply said the word 'up.' Assuming this to be the roof, the curly haired lad sought out Rian and asked him to let him onto the roof. The doctor agreed, knowing that Ashton would only be up there long enough to collect his final gift from Jack. The activities coordinator proudly handed over the wrapped parcel as soon as the teen opened the door to the roof, happily presenting the final yellow card along with it. Flipping it over, Ashton read aloud, "Bedtime."

Bag weighed down with the four gifts his treasure hunt had gained him, Ashton made his way back to his room, honestly not knowing what to expect. He opened the door, grinning at the sight of his three best friends sprawled on Calum's bed, his grandparents sitting neatly on his own with a cake on a tray.  
"You made it! Finally!" Michael teased, getting up first and giving Ashton a hug.  
Laughing, the eldest replied, "Yeah, for some reason I had to follow a bunch of yellow cards? Don't know where that came from." He wrapped his arms around Calum as the dark haired teen bounded over to him to receive his own hug.  
"You can blame Mikey for the colour cards, dear, but it was Calum's idea for the scavenger hunt." his Pops added, smiling as Ashton beamed over at him and his wife.  
Ashton looked to Luke, smiling as the blonde boy glanced back at him shyly from his seat on the bed. Jerking his head, he gestured the youngest over and squished him in a hug.  
"Let's not forget it was actually Luke who went and got everyone else involved though. He asked all of your Youth Sector leaders and your two friends on the floor below if they'd help out with it." Nana contributed Luke's involvement for him.  
"Really?" Ashton grinned proudly, ruffling the blonde quiff gently. "So is it time to start the party or what?"  
A round of cheers answered him.


	32. Happy Birthday Luke!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, 3/4 birthdays done this year.  
>  This one also got really far away from me, because I had the original idea, but couldn't figure out how to make it work. So this monstrosity came about.  
>  I apologise that this one seems ridiculously long in comparison to the other birthday prompts (I promise it's only a tiny bit due to bias ;) I'm joking I swear) but like I said, it got away from me.  
>  Anyways, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKEY-POO! We all love you. 
> 
> (Also, only 3 days to go until my birthday so yay for me)

It was about two days after Ashton's birthday that the boys started planning; Luke's birthday was nearing and the older lads wanted to carry out something special for the youngest. Each time that Luke was taken off to therapy, the rest of the ARD Unit would converge in the music room, lounging on top of one another as if to sponge ideas that would lead to an epic epiphany. Now, with only five days until Luke's birthday, they still had nothing. They all watched sadly as Luke was led from the room, a small pout adorning his features. Waiting a few moments, lest Luke forget something, the boys then made their way to the music room, slumping into the sofa cushions with heavy sighs. Shoulders touching and hands in laps, Calum, Ashton and Michael remained in those positions for a while before all shooting to their feet in unison. Exchanging grins, Calum raised his eyebrows.  
"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Ashton asked, eyes crinkling at the corners as his grin widened.  
Dual nods answered him and the three of them got to work.

The next day was a busy one. The lads circulated their time with Luke, always making sure at least one of them was with him while the others discussed more important matters with the "higher ups". All four of the Youth Sector staff thought the idea was sweet, but they weren't sure how feasible it would be, especially after a new development regarding Luke's family. That comment brought Calum and Michael up short, and uncertain of how to react, the younger of the two stuttered out a mumbled question.  
"Does Luke know yet?"  
Zack shook his head, immediately answering, "No. And we won't tell him - unless it's extremely necessary - until after his birthday. He's been mentioning it often in our sessions and it's a positive reaction to something he previously shrugged off. I don't want to take away from that."  
Nodding, Michael bit his lip. "Have you told Ashton about it? He'll wanna know."  
Alex sighed and ran a hand through his mussed hair. "No. We wanted to tell all of three of you the details when Luke was next with Zack, but unfortunately your plan needs to be carried out very soon in order to prevent the jet lag that could ruin the trip."  
A sudden grim look appeared on Jack's normally jovial face, and Zack's forehead creased in concern. Jack shot a mildly reassuring smile at the Youth Sector's primary therapist, before skirting around Rian and out the door. No one questioned the move, assuming it to be an eccentricity or something of the sort as the pattering footsteps faded into nothing.  
"How bad is this 'new development'?"  
"And what would it mean for Luke?"  
The two teenagers had serious expressions clouding their faces, a particular spark missing from their eyes.  
"Nothing yet," Rian replied, "but it could end badly if we're not careful. It doesn't help that Luke's not 18 yet, meaning that his family still have control of him, despite the fact he's been here since a few days after his 13th birthday."  
The door opened quietly, revealing a flustered looking Ashton. The eldest made his way to stand between Calum and Michael, feeling responsible for keeping them comforted and taking a hand in each of his. Michael gave a quick squeeze in both gratitude and greeting.  
"What's going on? Jack's sitting with Luke and thankfully keeping him distracted for a while. He said it was urgent."

Having sat the boys down in Rian and Zack's main office, not the smaller one on Floor 5, the doctors stood close to one another and quietly discussed their plan of action. Only when they heard Ashton's impatient grumbles did they decide honesty was best.  
"Look lads, as for now, nothing is set in stone. As for guardianship, we have the most leeway currently, due to Luke being in our care."  
"Wait wait wait! Why is guardianship being brought into this?" Michael snapped, scowling a little.  
Alex huffed out a slightly saddened and exasperated breath at the sudden hostility. "Luke's parents died in a car crash a week ago." Stunned silence answered him, so he continued, "About two months before that, we got a letter from Luke's older brothers, both of whom put in a request to see him. Up until now, we've been able to hold them off with slightly exaggerated excuses regarding Luke's mental state. But since the death of their parents, and what seems to be an extremely apparent change of hearts, his brothers have become adamant that they see him and offer him their support."  
Michael's grip had become vice like on the arm of the chair he was sat in, knuckles white and fingertips red through exertion. "No."  
"We understand that this is distressing, but as we said, Luke's parents are dead, that leaves his siblings as his guardians, aside from us. His brothers are both over 18, and his oldest brother is over 21, definitely making him eligible to become Luke's official primary guardian." Zack explained carefully, knowing that the boys would need some time to fully process the information.  
Silence reigned a while longer, the three teenagers contemplating what it would mean for them, and for Luke. Calum blinked slowly, an idea forming inside his head. He caught Ashton's eyes, then Mikey's and it was if his idea transferred itself into their minds too.  
"I wanna tell Lukey." Michael said quietly. "He deserves to know, I mean his family have been shit to him for pretty much forever, but he's always wanted to know anything about them. And if his brothers have changed as much as you say they have, Luke won't trust them but he'll want to meet them as they are now."  
Zack nodded, moving to pick up the phone from Rian's desk; his own was currently surrounded by teenage boys and a certain element of privacy was called for. Alex and Rian exchanged small smiles, knowing that behind the innocent façade, the lads were planning something. A few short minutes of listening to a one sided back and forth over the phone, those not involved in the conversation looked to Zack expectantly as the clatter of the phone being returned to its cradle permeated the silence.  
"They said they can get here this afternoon."

Telling Luke probably could've gone better than it had. The blonde boy had completely flipped, throwing his largest penguin at Michael and the smaller ones were split between Calum and Ashton. A primal growl had escaped the youngest and he'd kicked his bed viciously before slumping to the floor. The outburst had petrified the others, none of them moving even as Luke's breathing stuttered and fell from his lips in short, sharp pants that sounded grating and painful; each inhale punctuated with a sharp tug at golden hair, and exhales defined by shuddering whimpers. Calum had snapped out of his terror first, skidding on his knees to crash into the end of the bed and pulling Luke's hands away from his hair carefully, ensuring no strands were ripped out. He then occupied the younger teen's hands by allowing him to play with the tanned lad's own fingers. The other two boys sat next to them, Ashton smoothing circles between Luke's shoulder blades and Michael rubbing his thumb over Luke's foot and ankle bone.

Before meeting Luke, the older Hemmings brothers had had to sit through a gruelling 20 minute meeting with Zack - who they recognised as the voice on the phone - and Alex, whose name they could recall seeing on a few of the letters which told them why they couldn't see Luke. After the chaste, but no less thorough briefing about Luke's condition (and the protectiveness of his older friends) the brothers were guided up to Floor 6.  
Zack and Alex could honestly say they weren't surprised when they saw Calum and Ashton standing guard outside Michael and Luke's room. The two boys were undoubtedly the strongest of the four, and Ashton could be nasty when he was in protective mode. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw the brothers tense, and he smiled inwardly - especially when he caught the minuscule smirk on Zack's face. They made it to the room, Ashton and Calum glaring the whole time it took for the group to move down the hall.  
"Luke's not ready to see you yet." Calum's statement was blunt.  
"Calum..." Ashton's tone was warning.  
"Ash, we all agreed we do this on his terms. He opens that door, they can see him."  
Sighing begrudgingly, Ashton nodded. He looked towards the Hemmings brothers again, scrutinising them carefully when the door opened.

"B-Ben? J-J-Jack?" Luke's timid voice floated through the doorway, and after Michael stepped to the side, the brothers entered.  
Luke was stood next to his bed, a pair of Ashton's cut-off sweats hanging on his hips, and the long sleeves of the white-gone-grey tee Michael gave him so long ago covering his hands. His older brothers - his biological ones - looked so different. Taller, broader, more facial hair, a darker blonde than he remembered. It was surreal, especially when he finally made eye contact. He saw a myriad of emotions flitting through their eyes: shock, worry, remorse. It was the last one that got him and he choked on his next breath.  
Jack and Ben couldn't believe this was the little brother they'd mistreated so much during their childhood. Luke had never been a bad kid, not even a little bit naughty, and they'd only followed their parents' lead in neglecting and abusing him. They felt awful, but when Luke choked on seemingly nothing, they both rushed forward, wrapping their arms around their baby brother and crushing him between them. The oldest of the three felt tears fill his eyes at how little there was to hold of his youngest sibling, despite him being taller. He heard Jack murmuring in Luke's ear, audible only because of the closeness.  
"Lukey... Oh my god, Luke. We've been trying to see you for nearly three months, honest. We're so sorry."  
A single whimper escaped Luke and he buried closer into his older brothers' holds. Cheek pressed to Jack's chest, he tucked his head under Ben's chin. "Y-y-you all l-l-left m-me. I-I n-needed you a-an-and and y-you all j-just left. I w-w-was th-th-thirte-een. I n-nee-needed m-my brothers a-and my p-parents and and y-you j-j-just k-kicked me aw-w-way."  
Two hearts shattered, and five more broke just a little at the shaky, sob ridden confession.  
"We know, we know Lukey, and we're honestly the worst brothers ever, probably the worst people too. We're so so sorry. We just went along with mum and dad because we were scared to go through what they... We. What we all put you through. I'm so sorry, little brother, so sorry." Ben whispered tearfully, closing his eyes as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Luke's head.  
"I don't expect you to ever trust us, or even forgive us, but I hope one day you can at least smile at us and have it be genuine. We want to be here for you, always, from now on. If you'll let us."  
"I d-don't t-trust you. N-not y-y-yet. B-but I th-think I-I can f-for-forgive you. I-I've b-been waiting f-f-five years-s to h-hear y-y-you say y-you'll b-be here for m-me."

Three days later saw the boys, Luke's brothers, Zack and Jack all in Paris. The jet lag had worn off completely and the teens were excited to finally go to the place they'd planned several days ago - Disney Land.  
Shortly after Luke had fallen asleep, exhausted after the emotional train-wreck that was meeting his brothers again for the first time in five years, the older members of the ARD Unit had pulled Jack and Ben aside. The verbal lashings they received were expected, but they jumped at the chance to redeem themselves by helping the boys finally carry out their plan for Luke's birthday. Ben confessed that Luke had always been excluded from the family holidays, and that he'd seemed devastated - yet said not one word - when they went to Disney Land 10 years ago without him. Jack pulled out his phone as soon as the doctors okayed the trip, and was scrolling through flight bookings immediately. The Hemmings brothers paid for everything: the flights, the hotel, the 'Disney Dining', the fast-passes; everything.  
Now, walking behind Luke and his friends, seeing the absolute joy on their baby brother's face, the two of them knew they were on their way to Luke accepting them, and eventually Luke's friends would too. Hopefully. For now, Luke having a happy birthday was enough for all of them.


	33. Happy Birthday Michael!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware that this is 3 days late. I am also aware that I am a shit and have not updated in a long time. I apologise.

When Michael awoke, he thought nothing of the fact there was a warm body curled around him, its head on his chest and hair tickling his chin. It wasn't that unusual for him to find Luke snuggled against him after a nightmare - or just because he wanted to be close to the older boy - so Michael wrapped an arm around the bony shoulders and sleepily pressed a kiss to the crown of the blonde locks. He lazily opened his eyes, looking down to see Luke's were still closed. He blinked rapidly to wake himself up a little more and nudged the blonde lad gently, jiggling his knees to shake him up a bit. Tired grumbles suggested it had been a nightmare that had sent Luke over to his bed, either that or the younger boy was just more of a grouch than normal today. It wasn't until Luke grumbled again that Michael really listened and realised he was actually trying to articulate words. Mikey huffed a laugh.  
"You know Lukey, if you sat up a bit and cleared your throat, I'd find it much easier to understand what you're puppy growling at me."  
Almost as if to prove a point, Luke rumbled again - something that sounded like, "'App biff-duh, Mike."  
"App biff-duh. Is that what I get?" Mikey laughed again. He was still laughing when Calum and Ashton burst into the room, party hats on their heads and party poppers in hand.  
"Happy birthday, Mikey!"  
Michael laughed even harder.

After Michael had finished laughing (much to Ashton and Calum's confusion and Luke's chagrin), he demanded a group cuddle, shifting his arm so Calum could curl up on the opposite side to the youngest lad and allowed Ashton to drape himself over his legs, head resting on the blonde teen's hip.  
That was how Alex and Jack found them when they came up to check why they hadn't turned up to breakfast yet. They just shared a fond look before Jack cleared his throat and announced that breakfast was over in half an hour. _That_ got the boys shifting, Ash springing from the bed and Mikey wrestling his way out from under the tangle of limbs belonging to Luke and Calum. The curly haired boy had already disappeared out of the door, dashing to his room to get ready quickly and Calum was quick on his heels. Michael dashed to bathroom, running the water in the shower then picking an outfit. He took his clothes with him back to the bathroom and shut the door, letting Luke have the privacy of the main bedroom to get changed.

The boys reconvened in the hallway, making their way to the dining hall to catch the last 20 minutes of breakfast. Apparently Alex had let the kitchen staff know it was Michael's birthday as when the boy went to get his cereal, he was instead handed a plate of waffles drizzled with honey and whipped cream. He grinned, thanking her profusely before making his way back to the table.  
Calum looked up, pout adorning his lips at the sight of Mikey's breakfast. He glanced back to his own cereal and his pout became more prominent at the meagre comparison; Ashton laughed, stuffing another spoonful of Cheerios into his already full mouth. Michael happily ate his waffles, kindly cutting off a small piece and teasing the dark haired boy with it before handing him the fork so he could actually eat it. He did the same for Ashton, giggling as the eldest gave an exaggerated moan at the taste. Luke's knees had been bouncing the whole way through breakfast - something uncommon though not unheard of for the blonde, but when Luke vehemently shook his head to the offered bite of waffle Michael frowned.  
"You've got to eat, Penguin." It wasn't a suggestion.  
"Ssssick." Luke mumbled quietly, knees almost knocking the table.  
"You feel sick or you'll feel sick if you eat something?"  
"B-both."  
Michael sighed, not knowing the cause of Luke's obvious distress but merely allowed the boy to get away with eating nothing - despite the strict rule against such a thing.

It took another 20 minutes but the boys - sans Luke - were finally full and had returned the tableware to the hatch. They made their way back to their floor, entering the games room in a loud chattering bundle and they all slumped onto the various pieces of furniture dotted around the room.  
The next couple of hours bracketing lunch were filled with Michael kicking each of their asses at any and all of their owned video games. The room was filled with a litany of groans of defeat and triumphant shouts of victory. It was after Mikey had beaten Calum for the fourth time in a row at FIFA that Luke suddenly disappeared.  
He came back only a few minutes later, a folder in his hands and a nervous expression on his face. Michael looked up, setting the controller down and gesturing for Luke to come sit next to him on the sofa. The blonde paused, biting his lip before hesitantly doing as suggested and sitting cross legged on the cushion.  
"What's that, Luke?"  
Ashton and Calum were looking at them curiously, the younger of the two putting down his controller and turning to face them fully.  
Luke handed the folder over, teeth digging harder into the already abused flesh of his lower lip. His hands shook as he released the object into Michael's care.

The birthday boy flipped open the folder carefully, wary of what he'd find. What he saw surprised him a little. Inside, there was a pile of envelopes - all shapes and sizes - neatly held together with an elastic band. Eyebrows furrowed, Michael asked quietly.  
"Where are these from Luke?"  
The blonde shook minutely, the tiny tremors running though him wracking his frame.  
"D-d-dad."  
"My dad?" At the nod he received in reply, Michael looked up and his gaze was almost accusatory. "Why would you give me these?"  
"R-ea-ead th-them. S-so s-sorry M-M-Mikey. Did-didn't w-wanna upset-t you b-bu-but A-Alex th-thought you should-d s-see." Luke's worry and fear of making Mikey angry at him had his stutter worsening but he finally got out his sentence.  
The hostility hardening Michael's stance disappeared instantly, the older lad's shoulders deflating and a soft look crept across his features. He timidly removed the elastic band, opening the top envelope slowly. It looked the newest, and the stamp and date said it'd only been posted a few days ago.

Michael read through all of the letters after that first one; something he hadn't done since he was about 15. A few were now tear stained, and the boy's cheeks were flushed and blotchy from crying. Luke had curled into his side, rubbing soothing circles into Michael's spine, and Ashton and Calum offered comforting words. The guitarist wiped his face on his sleeve, uncaring of the mess he'd made.  
"You know what?"  
Ashton tilted his head, "What, Mikey?"  
"I'm gonna go call my Grandma, as always, but I think I'm ready to call my dad."  
A unanimous gasp flooded the silence and Michael bit his lip but steeled his resolve.  
"Yeah. I'm gonna call him."

It took an hour, but Michael finally returned to the room. He looked exhausted, eyes puffed up from crying and snot tracks evident under his nose. He smiled haggardly at the other boys though and tentatively they smiled back. He settled between them, pulling the birthday card and demanding cuddles. A weight had left his chest and the vice around the box surrounding his love for his dad loosened. Naturally he'd been angry at first but talking to his father triggered something in him and he was able to forgive the man despite all he'd done. And now, curled up with his boys - his brothers - he was happy to enjoy the rest of his birthday; especially when Jack and Rian brought up a cake later that day.


	34. Luke Centric: Would You Wanna Run Away Too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is super late but I have had a lot of other shit to deal with. I do apologise for the lack of updates and I'll try my hardest to speed them up a bit. This is based on this prompt:
> 
> 38\. prompt: luke leaves/runs away from the hospital one night, the other boys wake up and realise he's gone resulting in panic attacks from all 3 and the doctors come up because they weren't at breakfast so they tell them luke is gone, thy leave the hospital (each boy with a doctor) to find luke, it's raining maybe and when they find luke a couple miles from the hospital he's exhausted and drenched so they take him back in an ambulance or something?? they ask him why he left so he says something like 'he just wanted to be normal, he thought he could be normal' or something like that? idk it could be cute  
> ~ Tumblr anon

The harsh slapping of rain on pavement echoed in his ears, driving a jackhammer behind his eyes as his headache worsened. He'd been crying, that much he could remember, and if he was honest it was the probably the tears that caused his headache. The streetlights cast unnerving shadows against the buildings as he stumbled past. His knees were shaking and his ankles ached, his shoes sloshing water from heel to toe with every step. He was completely drenched, blonde locks soaked dark brown and plastered to his forehead, clothes sticking to his skin; the stolen hoodie did nothing to keep his t-shirt dry. He wiped a hand over his face, sniffling more as the pounding at the base of his skull intensified with the increased downpour. He'd been walking for hours, watching the growing dark and now seeing hints of a sunrise forming behind the terrifyingly black cloud overhead. Shuddering as a hacking cough shook his frame, Luke managed to find solace in the park, hidden in the tunnel of the climbing frame, just beneath the slide. He took the reprieve from the biting wind, huddling against the somehow dry plastic in an attempt to warm himself. Logic dictated it was futile: wet clothes, wet boy, cold weather, cold plastic? Yeah, great recipe for heat there. Luke coughed again, folding over his knees and almost choking on his breath as his protesting lungs tried to suck in at the same time as they blew out.  
He closed his eyes, blue irises stark against bloodshot white. He was so tired. A hollow _thunk_ as his head fell against the sides of the tunnel. He'd rest here and keep moving in the morning. He had to keep moving.

Sunlight streaming through a partially opened blind hit Michael's face, slowly bringing the boy to wakefulness. He muttered something, rolling over and startling as the door to his room suddenly banged open. _The fuck?!_ Ashton walked in, grinning brightly as Calum followed only a step behind. Michael decided he hated both of them, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.  
"You fuckers better not have woken Lukey up." He grumbled darkly, blinking in the harsh light of early morning.  
Ashton snorted a laugh, Calum rolling his eyes fondly and moving to the bundle of blankets covering the youngest boy's bed. He patted at the lump, frowning when his action wasn't met by irritated but harmless puppy growls. He patted a little harder, frown deepening as his hand wasn't met with the resistance of a bony ribcage and instead sunk to the mattress.  
"Speaking of Lukey, where is he?"  
The question itself was innocent enough, and usually wouldn't have caused a panic, except for the fact the bathroom door was open, and the hoodie Ashton had given the blonde several months ago was missing. Luke never wore it outside of their floor, preferring to sleep in it; he even took it off just to go the bathroom. So for it to be missing was mildly alarming to say the least.  
"I don't know, I was sleeping!" Michael wasn't panicking, he wasn't. If he was panicking, it would mean there was something to be worried about and there wasn't. Not yet at least. He was sure there was a logical explanation, there had to be, right?  
A hand on his arm stopped his internal flailing and he looked to see Ashton with a comforting expression.  
"Let's not psyche ourselves out before we know anything. We'll go see Alex and see if he knows. If he doesn't, we'll check with the other three. Okay?"  
Michael nodded shakily, hurrying to get ready so they could leave as soon as possible.

They didn't have to wait. Just as Michael stepped foot outside his room following Calum and Ashton, the elevator doors opened to reveal Alex and Jack. The two groups met in the middle, and the relieved looks on both sets of faces didn't last long when the staff's smiles disappeared.  
"Where's Luke?"  
The three boys paled.  
"What do you mean, 'Where's Luke?' We were coming to ask you guys the exact same thing." Ashton informed them, his calmness ebbing away slowly.  
"We came to look for you four after we didn't see you down at breakfast. What do you mean Luke's missing?" Alex's dark brows furrowed, frown creasing his forehead as concerned confusion crossed over his face.  
"Me and Ash went to wake them up and only Michael was in the room. The hoodie he stole from Ash was missing too and he never wears it outside of this floor. He wasn't in any of the bathrooms either." Calum retold the events as clinically as he could but the slight tremble in his voice was obvious. He ruffled his hair roughly, tugging at the strands as he felt the anxiety build up inside him. Luke was missing, neither Jack nor Alex (and he assumed Zack and Rian didn't know either) knew were he was and the three of them had no fucking idea where he could be.  
Alex - sensing the panic attacks brewing - immediately tried to quell their fears. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation. Zack and Rian sent us to look for the four of you, and you've told us what you know. Now, before anyone gets too in their head about this, we're going to look inside the hospital first, then in the immediate areas around the grounds." He paused to let his words sink in, "Okay?"

Luke woke up slowly, the sound of birds tweeting echoing inside the tunnel. He startled, bony elbows whacking against the plastic hard enough to bruise as he tried to gather his bearings. How the hell did he- Oh. Yeah. He ran away. He didn't mean to, not really, he was just sick of being a burden.  
Mikey was so much better than when Luke first met him, shyly shifting his eyes up to look beyond his fringe and see the blonde looking back at him. And Ashton barely even needed his routine - sure he had nightmares but he was able to convince himself they were just that: dreams. Calum still had sleepless nights every now and then, the most only ever lasting three days in a row and his anxiety levels seemed to be slumping more each day. Of course, the medication they all took helped to do that, but how come it wasn't working for him anymore?  
How come he still had night terrors that left him fearful of falling back to sleep? How come looking at food still made him feel sick? How come even talking about food could trigger him into wanting to vomit? How come he couldn't shake those dark feelings away and that sometimes at night he just wanted to cry and scratch until they all bled away? How come he still needed constant reassurance and care and endless hours of therapy when his friends - his amazing, wonderful, talented, kind and caring friends - didn't?  
He was shaking by this point, mental tirade forgotten as a rattling cough rumbled through his chest and his headache returned with a vengeance. He felt sick; hot, sweaty, but shivering and he had no idea why. He was so scared and tired and Luke felt stupid for ever thinking he could leave and survive alone, thinking he could ever be normal. He just wanted to be normal...

Every place they searched which turned out to be void of Luke ratcheted their panic a level higher. It was after they'd looked everywhere around the hospital, inside and out, that even the doctors were starting to panic. Michael was banned from looking, his breathing nowhere near normal and face so pale Ashton and Calum were genuinely worried he'd keel over any second. The two other boys helped look, checking every place they could think of twice over just in case Luke was on the move. It became apparent he simply wasn't there.  
Retreating inside, multiple hours searching had the light fading and only an hour ago it had started pelting down rain. It had rained the night before as well, so there was no disagreement in the fact that Luke must be soaked and freezing. Ashton and Calum rejoined Michael on their floor, temporarily waiting in the music room while the doctors decided what to do. They'd been waiting less than 20 minutes when Zack, Rian and Jack entered the room, waterproof coats on and torches in hand.  
"We've notified the police," Rian stated, adjusting his hat, "And they've got ears on the general hospital as well in case Luke turns up there. Alex volunteered to stay behind should he come back, or if the police come to us."  
The boys nodded.  
"If you're coming with us, we're paired up and you do _not_ leave our sides, got it?" Zack was stern, locking eyes with each boy in turn to make sure the message was clear.  
The boys nodded again.  
"Okay. Zack with Michael, Jack and Ashton, and Calum you're with me. Let's go."

Luke startled awake, fever induced night terror shocking him back to consciousness. He rubbed bleary blue eyes, blinking owlishly as he peered outside. The looming black clouds rolling in threatened thunder and lightning and he couldn't repress a whimper. That'd be so loud in this tunnel. He couldn't move, his limbs were numb and his joints ached painfully, he couldn't keep moving. He was so cold. Luke sniffled, turning to look out the other end of the tunnel and faintly in the distance he thought he could see brights lights moving methodically - as if searching for something, or someone. Voices floated towards him but in his sick-addled mind he couldn't comprehend the words. A shudder and a cough shook him harshly, and he slumped back into his safe hiding place.

Calum dragged a hand over his face, wiping rain from his eyes and tugging his coat closer. They'd been outside in the rain for over an hour and he was pretty sure all of them were feeling the effects of the cold. He had no idea how Luke was feeling. He swung his torch in the direction of the park and nudged Rian to ask if that's where they could look next. The duo were now miles from the hospital - as were the other four - but they couldn't and wouldn't stop looking. Not until Luke had been found.  
Stepping through the rusted gate of the playground, Calum slowly moved the light over any potential hiding places and he had to double check when he thought he saw something in the tunnel. He carefully shone his torch over the climbing frame, freezing when he realised his eyes hadn't tricked him; there really was a foot sticking out of the tube.  
"Rian, there's someone in the tunnel." He didn't wasn't to get his hopes up that it was Luke, it could just be a homeless person.  
"Wait here, let me check first. I'm not having you attacked by a passed out drunk sleeping off his intoxication in a children's park."  
Calum watched as Rian moved to the other side of the climbing frame, where he assumed the person's head to be. It was the softly breathed, "Shit." which had him moving. He joined the doctor, smiling sadly and relieved at the sight of Luke.  
"I'm going to call Alex to bring the ambulance, and then I'll let the others know." Rian muttered, already moving to find somewhere safe to pull his phone out.  
Calum moved closer, eyes roaming the parts of Luke he could see and he finally released the terrified tears he'd been holding in the whole time they'd been searching for the blonde. His hand reached out of its own accord, gently carding through drenched golden hair and thumb smoothing over Luke's cheekbone gently. Petrified and feverish blue eyes snapped open as a hand locked around his wrist. Instantly he was working on soothing the distressed blonde, cooing quietly and shifting to stroke his arm.  
"It's okay, Lukey, it's okay. It's me, it's Calum. We're gonna get you home real soon, okay?"  
The younger lad shifted over slightly, and Calum took the space as his own, climbing into the tube to cuddle the soaking wet boy to his chest. He rubbed roughly at Luke's arms and legs to try and work some warmth back into them.  
At the sound of Calum's voice, Luke relaxed, slumping against him and leeching all the heat he could. He whimpered softly and looked up at the older boy.  
Calum pressed a kiss to Luke's forehead, leaving his lips there as he held on tight. Rian had returned and was standing guard, waiting for the arrival of the ambulance he knew Alex had sent. Zack and Jack had met up and were now waiting anxiously at the hospital with the other boys. The dark haired boy looked up as he heard sirens approaching.

After everything had been done to try and tackle the impending and inevitable illness Luke would be facing, they doctors were finally happy enough to leave him to the care of his friends. He'd been stripped in the ambulance, wrapped tightly in an emergency blanket to keep him covered and warm, and Calum had sat - towel in hand - rubbing at Luke's hair. Immediately on arrival, he was ushered to their floor and more or less pushed into the shower, the blonde too out of it to protest at all as Alex slowly worked to bring his body temp up. Emerging from a steam filled bathroom, it was obvious that Luke's cheeks weren't just red from his shower and the heaviness of his eyes indicated an exhaustion they had anticipated.  
Now, cocooned in several blankets, Ashton's hoodie pulled over him (after an express trip to the wash and tumble dryer) and three best friends surrounding him, Luke was almost asleep. They'd pulled and pushed Michael's bed over and now the four boys were comfortably spread over the width of both beds.  
"Lukey?" Michael asked quietly, apprehensive of the answer. He received a sleepily rumbled hum as an answer. "Why did you run away? We were all so worried."  
Calum and Ashton shared a look, knowing they were both thinking the same thing. However, Luke's answer suggested a deeper talk in the morning.  
"J-just... W-wanted to... T-to be n-n-normal..." Luke was half asleep as he said it, and a moment later his snuffly breathing filled the silence left by his words.  
The three older boys pressed in tighter, ensconcing Luke in even more warmth. They'd definitely be having more of a discussion on that when morning came, but for now they were just happy that Luke had been found and he was relatively unharmed.


	35. NOT A CHAPTER - STILL AN UPDATE

Okay so here's a little update about my life:

~ School is a bitch. I don't know how many of you reading this live in the UK, but I'm currently doing A-levels so if any of you know how hard they can be, that's why I don't have a lot of time to update.

~ I have a lot of commitments I need to uphold. I have a job which takes up about 7.5 hours of my week AFTER college night I add. I'm a psychology mentor for a year 10 class (I think that's 9th grade??) and I'm a reading mentor as well. I'm also a leading cadet at my cadet unit, and a member of the school council so I have a lot of things to do, again meaning I don't have a lot of time to update but I am trying.

~ Sometimes I get writer's block and it can be really bad, hence why I don't update. The prompt or my chapter plan can be super detailed and still I sometimes can't write anything of what I deem to be my standard quality.

~ On another note, I'm insecure as fuck okay, so every time I see a comment, even if it's a prompt, it make me happier knowing that people are enjoying my work and me spending time of this. Even if the comment literally says "I like this chapter", I'll be grinning like an idiot because I actually people like what I'm doing. I'm needy and want people to tell me they like me okay?

 

On another note completely, about the tidbits and maybe another work, I'm thinking of starting a Q&A type section to it.

People can comment a question they have, be it about the work as a whole and me writing it (I don't know how to word that thought well) or the characters, or the hospital, or the reasons why, etc. and then I'll answer them on here so everyone can see the answers about them. So yeah :)


	36. I am so sorry...

Oh boy where do I even start. I guess with “sorry”.

Sorry to anyone who thought this might be a new prompt done.

This is kinda hard for me to write so bear with me.

Since getting a job (which is full time, 35 hours a week) and picking up new studying, and other commitments on top of all that, it is extremely hard for me to just sit and write the way I used to. I’m acting like anything I did even constituted as decent quality fiction, fan or otherwise, but you get what I mean. I used to be able to sit in a double free period after spending 20 minutes doing homework and write for the remaining hour and a bit. I can’t do that anymore.

I’ve lost track of what I’ve covered and what I’ve not and to be honest why I started in the first place. I’m one of those people who gets disheartened if they’re not constantly validated on things they work on.

I noticed this was getting a muted response from people, not really here, I mean the amount of hits and kudos and comments are astounding to me, but wattpad (which I made on a request) and tumblr weren't getting much of a kick.

I do really want to get back into writing, and recent-ish events have caused me to need that sort of outlet again.

I’m not saying I’m gonna get back to how regular(ish) I was before, but I’m gonna try. I’m currently reading through the whole thing, partly to see how much I cringe at my writing (I mean I started it 2 years ago wtf) but also to get back into the style of the story and the length and the prompts as well.

So this is sort of an update, sort of an apology.

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like to leave a prompt, relating to GMT or for the other prompt series I'm starting (just 5SOS prompts in general), please comment on the latest chapter. I will write 5SOS with other bands, just let me know which one and stuff.  
> Thank you.


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